Bella
by TheSolitaryNoodle
Summary: Bellatrix Black is fifteen, and this is a story of her School life. Meet the girl Azkaban took away. Also co stars Narcissa, Andromeda, Sirius, Regulus, and Lucius Malfoy. Contains others too.Rated T for language. Please R
1. Raised Voices

**I own nothing. Please R&R. Love you! **

Chapter 1

As soon as Bellatrix awoke, she knew there was something wrong. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up. Everything was as it should be. Kreacher had cleaned her room, as usual. Then why this feeling?

Bella lay back down and closed her eyes, trying to go back to sleep. Just as she was settled in, and almighty BANG sent her jolting back to her senses, and a cannonball slammed into her side.

"NARCISSA!" she screamed, shoving the little girl away. "Would it kill you to let me lie in? Why do you always insist on being my personal alarm clock?"

Her younger sister, the cannonball, just curled up tighter and began to mumble.

"Bella… Bella, help…"

"Will you stop mumbling?"

At this, the little girl raised her head for the first time, and Bella saw tears streaking down her face.

"Cissy! Cissy, what's wrong?" Bella implored, but Cissy only snuggled closer. Bella wrapped her arms round her skinny body and began to sooth her.

"It's ok, shh. What happened?"

"Sirius… Sirius…"

"Sirius what?"

"He ran away, Bella. They're shouting."

Now they were both quiet, quiet enough to hear the muffled voices of their mother and aunt. Bella froze for a moment, before ripping off the covers, sending her sister toppling off the bed.

"Oww!" Fresh tears began to pour from her sister's light blue eyes. Bellatrix, turning round, sighed heavily and bent to pick Cissy up.

"Ok, ok, I'm sorry Cissa" she said impatiently, setting her down and grabbing her hand. "Come on."

Cissy slipped her thumb back into her mouth and followed.

As Bella strode down the corridor, Andromeda poked her head out from her bedroom door.

"I wouldn't go down there." She warned. "Auntie Walburga's really angry."

"So? Have a sense of adventure, Dromeda. It's not like it's about us"

"But, Bella…"

"Oh, fine then, stay here, you little Mudblood."

"I'm NOT a Mudblood! Stop calling me names! I'm not a baby, Bells."

Bellatrix bent her head towards the younger girl, her dark eyes full of loathing. "Prove it"

Andromeda looked on the verge of contradicting, but seeing Bella's smirk made up her mind. She unhooked her silk dressing gown from the back of the door and stepped out in front of her sisters.

Smirking more than ever, Bellatrix pushed past her, dragging Narcissa behind her. Andromeda followed, trying not to let her sister see her reluctance.

As the three sisters walked down the stairs and towards the kitchen, the muffled voices became clearer. At the kitchen door, Andromeda automatically put her hand out to open the door, but Bella stopped her. Giving Dromeda her _don't-be-an-idiot_ look, she pressed her ear to the door. Cissy copied immediately, still clutching Bella's hand and sucking her thumb. Andromeda looked back at Bellatrix, but wished she hadn't. Her older sister raised an eyebrow with the triumphant air of someone who knew they had been right. Silently, she mouthed the word 'Baby'.

Andromeda glared back, before pressing her ear to the mahogany door, ignoring Bella's smirk.

"Look, I know your upset that he ran away but you have to…" that was their mother, Druella."

"Upset? I'm furious! And not with Sirius either!" Walburga, their aunt, interrupted Druella

"You can't blame _her_! What does she have to do with any of this?"

"I know Sirius isn't the perfect son, but… he wouldn't have done this if _she_ hadn't interfered!"

"So you're going to blame _my daughter?_"

Bellatrix and Andromeda froze, but Narcissa began to tug on her eldest sister's sleeve, whispering _'What did she say?'_ Bellatrix ignored her.

"Yes I will blame her! She didn't exactly make life easier for him. You heard the way she spoke to him! Admit it! She did this!"

"Wal, she's _fifteen!_"

Bellatrix froze. They were talking about her. Had she done this?

Cissa was consistent, yanking Bella's sleeve so hard the materiel was in danger of ripping; _'What did she say? What did mummy say!!!_' she repeated, stamping her foot, but still whispering. Dromeda, trying to calm her down, lost track of the conversation, but Bella had her ear pressed to the door, listening intently. She had forgotten her sisters were there.

"Yes, she's fifteen." Her aunt continued, "And evil."

"Don't you dare speak about my Bella like that!"

"She bullied my son! I'll speak about her anyway I like."

"How can you say it's her fault?"

"Drue, what don't you get? Bellatrix made Sirius run away!"

"That's typically you, isn't it, Wal?" Her mother was now in hysterics. "Blame _my _daughter! What's next, Cissy caused the great fire of London? Andromeda started the goblin rebellion?"

Narcissa kept on tugging at Bella's sleeve more and more insistently. Her sisters could see a temper tantrum coming on, so Bella did the first thing she thought of, and slapped Narcissa so hard she went flying.

Narcissa screamed. The kitchen door came flying open.

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	2. Reprimandations

**Standard Disclaimers apply. C'mon... you know you want to review. Please!**

Chapter 2

"How dare you!" Druella was furious. "How _dare _you"

Bellatrix, sitting on a kitchen chair, looked her mother straight in the eye. "Yes?"

No sooner had the word escaped her lips, she felt a stinging slap round her face.

"Don't speak to me like that! Bellatrix Druella, I need a word with you"

"We _are_ 'having a word'. Right now."

Another slap from her mother landed across her face.

Bella could see her aunt and sisters behind her mother, Cissy with a large red mark along her cheek, her eyes red and puffy, Walburga with a satisfied expression on her face.

"But if you'd rather talk some other time, I have things to do." Bella said, standing up to leave. Druella flicked her wand, and shining black ropes coiled themselves around her daughter, bringing her crashing back into the chair.

"Bellatrix," there was an edge to her mother's voice. "I'm disappointed. First you slap your sister, then you listen in on my conversation…"

"I could have heard it from anywhere in the house, you were yelling so loud."

Another slap from her mother.

"Then, -listen, Bella- _then_ you call your sister names, you are deliberately immature and from what I've heard you've been bullying Sirius."

"So?"

"_So?_" This last came from Walburga, who stood up and sauntered towards her. "_So? _So you've been causing my son misery, traumatising him at school, and all you can say is _so?_"

Bella shrugged, as best she could with her wrists tied up behind her back. "Yeah. He's in Gryffindor. Filthy blood traitor."

Her aunt slapped her. Harder than ever. So hard the sound of it seemed to ring in the room afterwards, so hard Bella could taste blood in her mouth. Cissa looked horrified.

Druella came back into the picture. Kneeling by her daughter, she continued in a whisper;

"Bella. Bellatrix, honey. Look at me. I'm relying on you to look after your sisters. Dromeda's only thirteen and Cissy is just starting Hogwarts. You're the eldest here. Please?"

"Fine."

"Good girl. You can go. But you're grounded." A second flick of the wand, and the ropes disappeared. Bella stood up immediately, rubbing the marks on her arms where the ropes had cut in, and left the room, but not fast enough to miss Walburga say icily _'You're too soft on her, Druella.'_ Cissy ran after her.

Bellatrix lay on her side on the bed staring into space. The manor was quiet; her family had gone out to Diagon Alley.

Was she really that evil? Was it her fault Sirius had left? She wasn't truly that nasty. Or was she? She closed her eyes. A single tear escaped her closed lids. A memory, long forgotten, came back to her.

_She was eleven years old and ready for Hogwarts. A few days before she left, her parents had given her a new broom. She had run out to the garden to try it out, but her cousin Sirius had snatched it from her before she could mount._

"_Sirius," she'd yelled, "Sirius, it's mine! It's new! Give it back!" _

_Sirius had said something back, she couldn't remember, but it had made her even angrier. He kicked off and began to fly around, zooming towards her, but turning at the last minute. Whipping the brand new walnut and dragon heartstring wand from her pocket she'd yelled one of the only spells she knew at that time; Stupefy._

_She remembered the comic way he froze on the broom, but carried on flying. Eventually he collided with the wall of the manor, and fell. She remembered Dromeda's face as Sirius toppled past her window, her aunt's scream as they saw what she'd done, her mother's hand grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and dragging her inside._

More tears slipped over the bridge of her nose. She raised a hand to touch the swollen area where she'd been slapped. Did her family hate her that much? Did they think she should be punished? For what?

The truth hit her hard. She had forced Sirius to leave. She _was_ evil.

What had she done?

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	3. Dinner Parties

**I own nothing, except the plot. If there is one... hmmm... Anyway, on with the show!**

Chapter 3

Exactly one week after the 'Sirius incident', the girls' father announced to them that they were to have a dinner party.

"There will be many people coming," he said. "My colleagues. Its held on the day before you all go back to Hogwarts. You will be there, so I want you all on your _best behaviour_." He growled the last two words, turning his head to look at his eldest, reclining lazily on the sofa, who returned the glare with a silent '_What?'_ Cygnus, their father, rounded on her, but was interrupted by Narcissa jumping off her chair and throwing herself into Cygnus' arms.

"Thank you, Daddy!" she said, kissing him quickly on the cheek. She then looked him in the eye, in such a sincere way for an eleven- year- old that Cygnus had to stop himself from bursting out laughing. "And don't be angry at Bella, Daddy. It's not our fault she scares people."

At this, Cygnus did laugh, and so did Cissa and Dromeda, but Bellatrix made a loud frustrated noise and left the room, slamming the huge doors behind her. Their father looked back at Dromeda and shifted Cissa slightly on his hip, making a mock scared face at them, and winking. They both started giggling hysterically.

The night of the party arrived and with it, disaster. The first incident happened in their mother's en- suite bathroom, Cissa and Andromeda fighting for the mirror. Bellatrix slouching against the corner, ignoring the disapproving looks her mother. Cissa suddenly turned around to Druella, with her make- up surprisingly well done for a girl of her age.

"What do you think?" she asked.

"You look lovely, Cissy. What are you going to wear?"

"My light pink thingy. The new one."

"Andromeda?"

"That light green one I wore to the other place ages ago."

"Ok. Bellatrix?"

"I think I'll wear my pyjamas, actually…" She replied sarcastically, pretending to ponder. Cissa let out an involuntary giggle.

"I'm being serious, Bella."

"You said I was grounded."

"This doesn't count. You have to come."

Bella sighed. "Alright, mother."

"What are you wearing, then?"

"Something black… Reinforce the surname and all…"

"You are not wearing black."

Bellatrix sat down heavily on the washing basket behind her, folding her arms. Her mother looked despairingly at her.

"What has gotten into you lately?" She asked. Her daughter just averted her gaze. Druella sighed. "Go get dressed, please." She finished, giving out. Bellatrix marched out the room.

Eventually Bella came out of her room, dressed in a beautiful red satin dress that clung to her torso, and fanned out over the floor, with her jet- black ringlets falling down her back. Her mother's eyes widened but she didn't say anything.

Half an hour into the party and the Blacks and their guests were lounging on the chairs talking about current affairs. Andromeda, squeezed between her mother and Narcissa, tapped the latter on the shoulder and nodded towards their sister sitting opposite. Bellatrix was slumped in her chair with a murderous expression on her face, and fury seemed to be radiating from her.

"How long do you think?" Dromeda whispered.

"How long till what?" Cissa was confused.

"Till Bells throws a hissy fit!"

Cissa grinned, and glanced at the clock behind them. "Erm… Four minutes. You?"

"Six."

"Deal."

Bellatrix stared at the clock on the opposite wall. It was going slower than usual. Why did her father have such boring colleagues? And, if he was _'disappointed in her' _all the time, then why did he force her to come to these stupid things? Earlier that evening, some old woman had tried to engage her in a conversation, but had soon seen the error in her ways. They all though Narcissa was a little angel, people always did, and that Dromeda was a very polite and lovely girl. All the guests had commented on 'how much she'd grown up' and how beautiful she looked, but her bad temper had silenced that. Her parents had been shooting her glares the entire evening, but she didn't care. She just sat sprawled messily in her favourite chair; in her low- cut red dress and her mother's red stilettos.

Just one minute had gone…

She could feel someone looking at her, so she looked down from the clock and met Andromeda's eyes. She glared back.

She heard her name mentioned by her father. Her eyes snapped to over to him.

"Bellatrix, my eldest, yes." He was saying.

An old man in a moth- eaten, out- of- date tuxedo replied. "Yes. How old is she now?"

"Fifteen."

"Pretty girl."

"Foul temper." Her father chuckled, sipping his wine.

Bellatrix locked her jaw. "If you're going to talk about me," she said, so loud everyone stopped talking and looked at her. "Maybe you should wait till I'm _out_ of the room."

"Bella, we're not saying…"

"I don't care what you're saying. Talk to my face or not at all."

"Bellatrix!" Her mother looked shocked.

"I'm just saying, it's pretty stupid to talk about me while I'm in the room."

Cygnus stood up. "Would you like to leave the room, then?" It was not a question.

Suddenly she couldn't take it anymore. "Yes. I would." She swung her legs off the armchair immediately and stood up too. Her mother copied.

"Bellatrix, this is obscene. Why can't you be more like Narcissa?"

Narcissa shrunk down further into the sofa at the mention of her name.

"Oh, yes!" Bella screamed. "'Cos Narcissa's just a fluffy little bunny isn't she?"

"Bellatrix!" Her mother took the space between them in two strides, and began to shove her daughter towards the door. "For Gods' sake, Bells! You go to your room this instant, and you come back down when you will be better behaved!"

"Yes! I'll do that! Then we can all prance around in our lingerie eating digestive biscuits and stealing everyone's left socks! Wahey!"

Druella managed to force her eldest out of the room, and up to her room, where she shoved her roughly in and locked the door behind her, before coming back into the living room and apologising excessively for her daughter's behaviour.

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**Tee hee! R&R Please! I will be eternally grateful!**


	4. Platform 9 34

**All the characters belong to the genius who is JK Rowling. I'm just a sad fangirl. But, hey, what's wrong with that:D. R&R Please!**

Chapter 4

The morning of the first of September dawned bright and warm, promising a fine day. In the kitchen of the beautiful manor on the hill a small, blonde girl sat at the kitchen table, already in her black robes, eating her breakfast hurriedly. Just as she finished, a tall woman came through the door. Druella looked at her daughter with a smile on her face. She was ecstatic to be starting Hogwarts.

Another girl with gingery- blonde hair stumbled through the door, and looked up apologetically at her mother.

"Have you seen my History of Magic book, Mum?"

"Is this it?" Druella asked, gesturing to a brown leather book lying on the side.

"No, that's Bella's." Without another word, Andromeda ran out into the lounge. Two seconds later;

"I've found it!" Druella thought that might happen.

They stood in the hallway, waiting, Narcissa bouncing up and down, Andromeda trying to cram more potions ingredients into her suitcase, and their mother wondering how her little girls could have grown up so quickly.

A sudden bang came from near the door, and a tall, dark fifteen- year- old kicked the it open, dragging her suitcases behind her.

"Sorry. I- err- overslept." She muttered.

"Mmm- hmm?" Her mother said sceptically, looking her up and down. Bellatrix began piling her stuff onto the pile by the door, looking at her youngest sister bouncing round the room with disbelief on her face. "Oh, and Bella…" Her daughter looked up. "Take that make- up off." Bella opened her mouth to argue but her mother's expression silenced her, and, taking the stairs two at a time, she disappeared.

Half an hour later, the three girls and their mother were standing on Platform Nine and Three- Quarters, the air above their heads engulfed by grey smoke. Her mother, who could still not suppress her daughter's excitement, was holding down Cissa.

Through the smoke Bellatrix could make out a tall figure striding towards her.

"Bella! Bella!" They heard his deep voice before they saw him.

Bella shot a worried glance at her mother, who raised an eyebrow.

The boy, who had long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, caught Bellatrix round her waist and kissed her full on the lips. A bout of raucous laughter came from Narcissa, but her mother looked shocked and furious.

They still didn't break apart.

"Bellatrix." Andromeda sensed danger from the way Druella spoke. "Bellatrix, _darling._" Bella ended the kiss and turned to look at her, her hands still round the boy's waist.

"Oh, yes…" she said, her pale cheeks flushing. "Err, mum, this is Lucius. Malfoy. He's my… err… boyfriend" She finished awkwardly, dropping her gaze.

Her mother simply whispered _'Oh'_.

"Oh, yes, Lucius… This is my mother, my sister, Andromeda, and my… _other_ sister, Narcissa." Lucius grinned as she introduced the latter.

"Ah, yes," he said. "The knicker kid." Druella's eyes flashed dangerously, and Bella stamped hard on his foot; "I mean, err… yeah. Pleased to meet you all. What's that…?" He finished distractedly, stroking the still red patch of skin on Bella's cheek."

"Oh, that's, err… that's just-" But she was interrupted as the massive clock chimed eleven. "I'll tell you later." She finished, and took his hand.

"Bellatrix. I need to talk to you." Her mother looked serious.

Her daughter turned to Lucius, and, smiling, went back to her mother.

"Yes?"

"Listen now, honey. I have been really ashamed at the way you have been acting recently. Especially the party- people will be talking about that for the next year, I expect. I also want you to know, that… I don't mind about Lucius. You're fifteen. And a prefect. But I want to tell you, that if Cissy… _isn't… _in Slytherin, you are not, Bellatrix Druella, to…"

"She will be in Slytherin, she's not Sirius."

"_Bella_! You are not to shun her. She's eleven."

"Yes, mum. Ok. Bye."

"Goodbye, Bells"

Bella grinned at her mother once, and ran over to the place where Lucius, Andromeda and Narcissa stood waiting for her. Cissa immediately grabbed her by the elbow and dragged her to an empty carriage.

"What are you doing, Bella? We're gonna miss the train!"

"Bella?" Andromeda asked, "What did Lucius mean when he called Narcissa the 'knicker kid'?"

Laughing, Bella recalled another memory. When she was twelve, Lucius and Severus had been round at her house. Narcissa would not leave them alone, so Severus had whispered to try the spell _'Levicorpus' _Bella had, with drastic results. She could still remember vividly her sister dangling by her ankle, her floaty dress falling over her head.

She and her sisters sat down in the carriage with other Slytherin fifth- years. Narcissa, in her school robes, sat on Bella's lap and put her thumb in her mouth, listening to her sister's conversation. Andromeda disappeared off to the Slytherin third- years compartment almost straight away.

The school train had been going for ten minutes when there was a knock on the door. It slid open to reveal a tall boy with dark hair falling in his eyes.

"Sirius!" Narcissa squeaked, leaping off her elder sister to hug him.

"Sirius. How nice of you to join us." Bella said icily yanking Cissa away from the Gryffindor boy by the little girl's blonde hair.

"Bella. I'd like a word with you." It was clear this was not a request.

"Yes?"

"In private?"

Sighing, Bellatrix stood up, holding out an arm to stop Narcissa following them. Sirius stood aside to let her pass, and flashed a grin at Cissa. The door slid closed.

Lucius sat up.

"Cissa?"

She turned to look at him nervously.

"Has Bella dangled you from the ceiling anytime recently?"

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	5. Family Reunions?

**I don't own these characters. Blah, blah, blah. R&R Please.**

**PS I've messed around with the character's ages here, so that Sirius is 6****th**** year, Bellatrix is a 5****th**** year, Andromeda is in 3****rd****, Regulus in 2****nd****, and Narcissa in 1****st****. In the books Bellatrix is about 10 years older than Sirius, but it's more exciting if this story has the Marauders in it :D**

**ENJOY xxxx**

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Chapter 5 

Sirius guided his cousin along the corridor, one hand on her back. He stopped at a compartment, and pulled on the door. Three students looked up at them. Bella glared back with loathing.

"Oh, Sirius," said one of the boys, one with tousled black hair and glasses. "I didn't know they sold _them_ in the Magical Menagerie."

Bella whipped her wand from her pocket.

"Shut it, Potter."

Potter made a baby face at her. Bella was on the verge of casting the worst spell she knew, but Sirius grabbed her wrist.

"Bellatrix."

"Sirius."

He grinned at her. She glared up at him.

"You're so predictable, Bella."

"I could say the same about you."

"Ah. Bella, Bella, Bella. Tell me, how did my mother take my sudden departure?"

"She blamed me, if you must know."

Sirius and his friends laughed loudly. Bella didn't.

"I'm not surprised. Let me guess…" He gently touched the red patch on her cheek. She pulled away, but he just grinned more than ever. "A souvenir from my mother?"

"So what if it is?"

"Oh, no reason…"

"Please tell me, why am I standing in a compartment with you, Potter & Co, when I could be doing other, more important things?"

"Like what?

"Nothing you'd have experience in…"

"Huh?"

"Kissing, popularity, _friends_… like it said, nothing you'd know about."

"I _do _have experience in those things, Bellatrix."

"Oh, yeah, really? Been kissing Kreacher, have you?"

"So what if I have?" She could see right through him; he was winding her up.

"Shut up, Sirius."

"No offence, Bella, but you're not exactly in the best position to tell me what to do."

"Excuse me?"

"Well, lets review the situation, shall we? You're standing in a compartment full of four boys, who are all older, and stronger than you, with none of your Slytherin pals to back you up. If you even _touch _me, my mother will kill you, if you try anything smart, I'll tell. Do you want to review your attitude now, Bellatrix?"

"You're saying I should be _scared_?

"I'll be seventeen in a few months. Then you'll be in trouble."

Bellatrix laughed out loud.

Sirius just smiled at her tilting his head to one side in an annoyingly arrogant fashion. "It's just funny though." He said.

This threw Bella completely. "Sorry?"

Sirius grinned.

"You just don't get it, do you, Bells?"

"Care to enlighten me?"

"Not really." He grinned. "How's Lucius?"

"Don't change the subject." She snapped. "What don't I get?" She paused for a second before saying. "Why do you ask about Lucius?"

"Because you're my little baby cousin, that's why. If you're hearts gonna get broken I need to know."

Bellatrix raised an eyebrow. " Why?"

"To congratulate him."

The girl moved so fast Sirius didn't have time to laugh. Her wand was held out at his throat. The three other boys fell about laughing, Bellatrix, a head shorter and a year younger, threatening Sirius.

"If you dare say that _ever_ again," she whispered through gritted teeth. "You _will_ regret it."

He grinned.

"Bella, can you even use that thing?"

She redrew her wand. "One day Sirius, I'll get you. I swear."

He grinned again. "Of course you will, Bella." He held the door open for her mockingly. She gave him and his friends a look of utmost loathing before striding out the door, back to her compartment, leaving them rolling with laughter on the floor.

**Could you please review? Love ya xxxx**


	6. Sorting

**I own nothing except story line and plot. Review please! Enjoy x**

**Chapter 6**

The doors of the Great Hall crashed open, and a tall man in long green robes strode in, followed by a mass of stumbling, tripping eleven- year olds. Bellatrix sat up a little straighter so she could make out the white- blonde head of her youngest sister, drenched to the skin and looking positively terrified. Catching her eye, Bella smiled encouragingly. Andromeda, sitting next to Bella, nudged her and said;

"I think Sirius is trying to tell you something."

Bellatrix looked over to the Gryffindor table, and sure enough, saw her cousin and the three other boys she had the misfortune to see guffawing and pointing at her.

"Stupid idiots." She rolled her eyes.

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The teacher who had brought in the first years cleared his throat loudly. Silence blanketed the hall. Placing an object on a small stall, he pulled out a list and looked expectantly at the hat, the object on the stool. The first years began to mumble, confused, wondering why everyone was gazing so intently at an old tattered hat. They were surprised when what they'd taken for a tear in the brim of the hat, opened its mouth and began to sing;

"_Long ago, when I was new,_

_A thousand years ago or more,_

_Four witches and wizards of amazing skill,_

_Met together and swore,_

_To teach all the young children_

_With magic in their veins,_

_All the secrets the four founders knew,_

_And never break again._

_Said Gryffindor; 'The bravest will be_

_Honoured above the rest'_

_Said Ravenclaw; 'Those with the brains,_

_Will turn out to be the best'_

_Said Slytherin; 'Only those with the purest blood,_

_Have true magical ability'_

_Said Hufflepuff; 'I'll take the lot, teach them all I know,_

_They're all the same to me.'_

_And so the founders four,_

_Shared magical ability. _

_Until Slytherin caused quite a stir,_

_And made it founders three._

_And never since old Slytherin,_

_Walked out on the other three,_

_The houses were never united,_

_As they were meant to be._

_It is now my solemn duty,_

_To quarter every year._

_Though all four houses,_

_Must be united here._

_You might be in Gryffindor,_

_Were dwell the brave at heart._

_Or possibly Ravenclaw,_

_You'll find a place there if you're smart._

_Maybe even Hufflepuff,_

_If you're a loyal friend._

_If not, then maybe Slytherin,_

_Who's cunning never ends._

_So pop me on your head,_

_To find out what House you're in,_

_Now that I've told you that,_

_Let the Sorting now begin!"_

The hall burst into applause, and the professor who had brought the hat in stepped forward, cleared his throat, and unrolled a piece of parchment.

"Ackley, Philip."

A small, ratty boy slowly walked up the stairs, shaking with fright. He sat on the stool and place the hat on his head. The hat seemed to ponder for a minute, then shouted;

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table on the left of the Slytherins cheered and clapped as Philip ran to sit down with them.

"Benson, Alice."

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Bellatrix watched her cousin clap with the others as the little girl sat down at their table.

"Black, Narcissa."

Bella froze as she watched her sister climb the steps to the stool, she could feel Dromeda holding her breath next to her. Narcissa sat on the stool and let the teacher place the tattered hat on her head.

The hat was silent for a few seconds, before exclaiming,

"SLYTHERIN!"

The entire table around her erupted in cheers as Cissa ran towards them. Bella stood up and cheered along with the rest of them.

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	7. The Raging Black War

**I own nothing, etc. I LOVE my reviewers. **

**And by the way, I am not a hat in real life, but I'm glad you liked the song, Miriamimus!

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**Chapter 7**

The year started disastrously for Bellatrix, it has to be said. Now, two weeks into the year, being guided along to a different classroom by Professor Slughorn, she could not say anything had changed.

Slughorn stopped outside a closed door, and knocked three times. After a pause, a gentle male voice came from inside, telling them to come in. Slughorn pushed open the door and gestured for her to go in first. She did, rolling her eyes. The professor followed, and Bellatrix groaned quietly as she saw what classroom they were in. Sixth- year Transfiguration, with Dumbledore, Head of Gryffindor. To make matters worse, it was a Gryffindor and Ravenclaw lesson, which meant, sure enough, her cousin, Sirius, was in here too.

"Horace, Miss Black," Dumbledore inclined his auburn head at each of them. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, Albus." Slughorn said, his walrus moustache bristling. "Well, during Potions class, Miss Black here thought it would be amusing to add certain ingredients to Rita Skeeter's potion… She will be cleaning the residue off the ceiling in detention tonight; that is no problem. But her actions caused a bit of an uproar and I was wondering if she could sit in your lesson? She can start on her Potions essay. If there's no trouble…"

"No, of course not." Dumbledore surveyed Bella over the top of his glasses, his shockingly blue eyes twinkling. She stared back defiantly. "There is a seat next to your cousin, Miss Black."

Both Sirius and Bellatrix exploded into shouting.

"Sir, why do I have to sit next to _him_? Can't I go sit in the corner, on my own? I _hate_ him."

"Not her, sir. She can sit somewhere else, _anywhere_ else…"

Dumbledore held up his hand for silence, and it came. "Miss Black, if you would please go sit next to your cousin, as I asked. I'm sure you love each other… _very_ deep down."

Scowling, Bellatrix stormed over to her cousin, slamming her books onto the desk and pulling her chair back roughly. Sirius grinned at her. She groaned again.

Dumbledore chuckled slightly, before turning back to the board. "Now, Miss Black…" He said, without looking at her. "I believe you have some Potions homework to start on?"

Seething with rage, Bella pulled out a sheet of parchment, her quill and ink and started to write.

She could feel Sirius watching her as she sat in silence, writing her essay. While Dumbledore droned on about non- verbal spells, he smirked at her non- stop. _He really needs to get a life._ With Potter and Lupin in front of her, the Pettigrew boy to her left, Sirius sitting next to her, and that Mudblood Evans and someone McKinnon behind her, Bellatrix felt utterly surrounded.

"Alright, class. I need to pop down to the Staff Room for a minute. Please keep quiet and continue with our work." With that, Dumbledore walked out the room.

At once, the two idiots in front of her, Potter and Lupin, and Pettigrew turned to face Sirius, who grinned again. Bella tried hard to ignore them and get on with her Potions homework, unsuccessfully.

"Tut, tut, Bellatrix." Sirius mocked. "What did you do this time?"

"That idiot Skeeter girl was annoying me." Bella answered shortly.

"And…?"

"So I put porcupine quills into her Draught of Living Death. Happy?"

A third voice joined the conversation, Lily Evans, sitting behind them. "You put _porcupine quills_ into a _Draught of Living Death_? That'd be one big explosion."

Bellatrix ignored the fact that a Mudblood thought she had the right to talk to her, a Black. Beside her, Sirius guffawed loudly.

James Potter, on the other hand, ran his hand through his hair, and, grinning in what he obviously though was a handsome way and said. "Alright, Evans?"

Bella looked at him in disbelief. He was _pathetic._ Was he that desperate?

Sirius, seeing the look on her face, whispered in her ear, loud enough for everyone to hear. _"He really is desperate. Since our first year."_ Potter glared at him. Sirius cleared his throat continued. "Anyway, Bella. What was the Skeeter girl doing this time?"

"Spreading gossip about me."

"C'mon, Bells. We all know you like being the centre of attention."

"And you don't?"

Sirius smirked. "I never said that. All I'm saying is that you like being the bitch everyone talks about. Fact."

"Shut up!"

"Or what? You'll put me in detention? Does the widdle Slytherin prefect hate her cousin?"

"Yes. I do hate you. Haven't you realised that by now?"

Evans joined the conversation again. "Sirius, stop it. She's younger than you, and she is your cousin…"

Bellatrix stood up and turned to face the Gryffindor girl. "Stay out of this, _Mudblood._"

In a flash, Sirius stood up too. "Don't use that word, Bellatrix."

"You gonna stop me, blood traitor?"

Sirius flicked his wand, and Bella flew backwards to crash into the opposite wall, her wand rolling away from her. She slid down the wall, clutching the back of her head, which had begun to bleed. The entire class stood up, watching them.

Seizing her wand, Bellatrix retaliated. "SECTUMSEMPRA!" She screamed.

Her cousin tried to dive out of the way, but he wasn't fast enough. The side of Sirius' sleeve turned blood- red as the spell gashed his arm. Several girls screamed.

Pointing his wand back at Bella, who was struggling to get up, blood now tricking down her forehead. "AGUAMENTI!" He shouted, and a jet of water flew from he tip of his wand, knocking the girl back over. When the water stopped, he wordlessly summoned Bella's wand. It soared through the air, and Sirius caught it.

Directing both wands at the girl spluttering on the floor, he laughed.

Bellatrix flew to her feet, her sopping wet hair and drenched robes dripping water onto the floor.

"Still going, Trixie?" Sirius mocked, using the name she hated.

The girl just nodded.

"Alright then…" A corner of his mouth curled upwards. "What a lovely tie that is." He said sarcastically. "Slytherin, I believe?" Flicking both wands, he watched as Bella's tie zoomed up to her throat, getting tighter and tighter around her neck. Her hands clutched at it, desperately trying to loosen it, and she was sliding back onto the floor, choking. Sirius laughed. "Though you really should do your top button up."

The class was speechless. Suddenly the door flew open, and Sirius turned to see Dumbledore standing in the doorway.

"Professor, I- She just… I didn't mean to…" Sirius started, but Dumbledore ignored him. Instead, he strode over Bellatrix, waving his wand. Her tie loosened, revealing a long, dark red line going across her throat where it had cut in.

He turned back to the class, who were all on their feet. "Evans, Lupin… I'm disappointed in you. You are prefects and neither of you came to tell me about this. And, Mr Black, you went beyond a schoolboy prank today. She could have died." He finished, gesturing at Bellatrix, who was massaging her throat, gasping.

"Sir, I didn't mean to hurt her that badly… I would have stopped. She- she would have done the same to me."

"It's not a case of 'would have', it is what did happen, Mr Black." Dumbledore said sternly. Bellatrix, having stood up now, stuck her tongue out at her older cousin. This did not go unnoticed by the Professor. "Thank you, Bellatrix, for that input. Now, I will be writing to both of your parents and you will both be serving detention with me. Understand?" The two Blacks nodded. "Good. Miss Evans, would you please be so kind as to escort Miss Black to the hospital wing? Tell Madam Fay that it is simply another episode in the Raging Black War."

At this point, the tension in the room broke. The 'Raging Black War' was the standing joke of the school. Mainly involving the two eldest, Sirius and Bellatrix, everyone knew about it, and it was always happening, especially during Slytherin- Gryffindor Quidditch matches.

Grabbing her things, Bella strode out of the room, shrugging away as the Evans Mudblood offered to carry her bags. Evans grimaced at Sirius over her shoulder, who smiled half- heartedly back.

Oh, how he hated his family.

* * *

**What do you think? I have loads of ideas for this one, but if you have a good idea for me then please review.**

**Love ya! xxxx**


	8. Unforgivables

**Woo! Here's the new chapter! Sorry about the long update… ******

**Hope you all had a happy New Year! PS A review never goes amiss… -hint-hint-:D**

**Chapter 8**

Both Bellatrix and Sirius were released from the Hospital Wing the next day, with a warning and icy looks passing between them. They were both dreading the letters that would undoubtedly be sent to them once their parents had wind of this.

And, sure enough, they arrived just two days after the incident. Bellatrix, sitting at the Slytherin table, was unnaturally fidgety as she awaited her letter. It came at breakfast, with the other owls, the Black's eagle owl landing neatly between the orange juice and the bacon. Bella jumped, slopping her pumpkin juice down her front.

_Bellatrix Black, _(The letter read)

_How dare you embarrass yourself like that? I told you NOT to initiate any contact with your ex- cousin, so of course, you have to have a fight with him. And LOOSE the fight; I don't know what's worse._

_I must tell you that interfering with Sirius will do you no good. You should have realised that by now, but you still seem to ignore me. Would you like me to ask for you to be moved to Gryffindor? I can do that, if you wished to be placed in the same disgraceful position as Sirius is._

_Your mother,_

_Druella Black._

Bella read the letter three times. After the third time, she found herself staring disbelievingly at the end of the page.

"You got one too, then?" Bella turned, to see Sirius standing behind her. It was unusual for him to come over to the Slytherin table.

She silently handed him the letter, taking his as he offered it to her. His was longer; Walburga had obviously put her famed fury into it.

_Sirius Orion Black,_

_I heard that this week you had a duel with your cousin Bellatrix. How far to you want to grind the name of Black into the dirt? I am ashamed to call you my son. You humiliated the family name this summer by running away to the Potters, and I do not wish for you to do so anymore. So, from this point on, you are forbidden to talk to Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda or Narcissa._

_Recently I had an argument with Druella about whether Bellatrix drove you to run away as she obviously hates you, but now I realise that you hate her back. There is no reason for you to do so. She respects the Pureblooded families and would never betray us. Druella has plans for her, so I forbid you to ever contact her again, in case your blood- traitor ideas destroy her future, too._

_I do not know what to do with you. I assure you, I have never been that embarrassed, as I was when your Head of House told me of the event between yourself and Bella. From what I interpreted, you were on the verge of strangling her to death._

_Heed my warning, Sirius._

_Walburga Black._

Sirius had already finished Druella's letter, and was looking at her expectantly.

Bella gulped. "That's…"

"Friendly? I know. You come in a lot, too."

Bella nodded. "I- I thought she hated my guts?"

"So did I. I certainly do."

Furious, Bellatrix shoved the letter back into his chest, making him stumble backwards a few steps. "Fuck off."

"As you wish, your Pure- Bloodedness." He taunted, giving her a mock bow. She leered at him.

---

---

That night at eight, Bellatrix walked the short distance from the Slytherin Common Room to the Potions room, also in the dungeons.

Slughorn's voice came from the room as she knocked, and she opened the door without speaking. The professor sat at his desk, marking essays with his free hand fumbling from his ever- present box of crystallised pineapple. The desks in the classroom had been pushed against the corners, a stepladder and a box of Muggle cleaning utensils in the middle. Bella pulled out her wand and was on the verge of casting the cleaning spell when Slughorn stopped her.

"_Without_ magic, if you please, Miss Black." He said. Bella felt her jaw drop. _He _expected _her_, a Pureblood aristocrat, to scrub the dripping remnants of Skeeter's potion off the ceiling like some House Elf! How dare he!

The man just gazed at her expectantly, as though there was nothing wrong with the situation to his eyes. Fuming, she stormed to the middle of the room, and, grabbing some Muggle stuff and climbing the step- ladder, began clearing it up.

---

---

The next morning at breakfast, Bellatrix was in a _foul_ mood. She stormed over to her usual spot, ignoring the many glances she received in doing so.

"Move." She spat threateningly to a small first year, which, terrified, stood up and ran away. Andromeda, sitting beside her, looked at her though narrowed eyes. "What?" The fifteen-year- old snapped at her younger sister.

"You didn't have to yell at that poor kid."

"I didn't yell. I snapped."

"Still the same thing. Maybe if you leave people alo- OW!" Dromeda clutched her shin where Bellatrix had kicked it. She opened her mouth to tell her sister the many insults that were flying around inside her head, but Bella shot her one of her famous _Talk-back-and-you're-dead_ looks. Andromeda could sense when to shut up, and so turned back to her bacon sandwich without a word. She knew why Bella was in such a foul mood; tonight she would have to face Sirius for the first time since loosing so badly to him. It was very likely that he would tease her about it- something her 'reputation' wouldn't allow. Looking up, the thirteen- year- old saw Sirius pointing Bellatrix out to a pretty Gryffindor girl with wavy red hair. Andromeda recalled that her name was Lily Evans, and that she was very clever. Popping the last of her bacon sandwich into her mouth, Dromeda grabbed her bags and headed over to the Gryffindor table.

"Why are you winding her up, Sirius?" She said, exasperated. Sirius grinned at her.

"Oh, hey, Drommie. I was just telling the guys about Bella's little defeat."

"Oh for God's sake, you're just as bad as her? Why do you two always insist on trying to kill each other?"

"I'll let you work that one out on your own, Dromeda."

"Listen, I came over here to ask you not to be to harsh on her in the Detention."

"Wow, Drommie, that's a first! Sticking up for Bella now, are we?"

"No, I'm warning you. Her temper's incredibly short right now and she and some others had have their heads together hatching a plot."

Sirius laughed out loud. "Thanks, Drommie. I'll be careful, I promise. This is Lily, by the way. Lily, this is my cousin Andromeda." Sirius gestured at the red- head offhandedly. Andromeda grinned and held out her hand. Evans looked at her, confused, for a second, then smiled warmly and shook the Slytherin's hand. Sirius had seen the look on Lily's face, and realised what she was thinking. "We're not all like Bellatrix, Lils. You don't mind Muggle- Borns, do you, Drommie?"

"To be honest, I don't really get the difference. We all managed to end up at Hogwarts, didn't we? Who cares if you're blood's pure?" Andromeda shrugged, fixing her gaze on the floor. Sirius barked with laughter, and her head snapped back up to look at him. "Don't tell Bella I said that. Or my parents… or yours… or anyone, really."

Sirius laughed again, louder this time. "I don't want to get you killed, Dromeda. However, if you ever mention… _certain events…_I might just let slip of your ideas to Trixie in our detention tonight. She might be the youngest person ever to go to Azkaban for murder."

"Like the time you sang 'I Will Always Love You' to Kreacher?"

Sirius leapt up, furious. "OI! I told you never to mention that!"

Andromeda pouted and then laughed. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone."

A boy with extremely messy black hair and glasses had been looking at her curiously. He suddenly sat forward and spoke to her. "Except us. Don't worry, Black, I wont let him forget it. Good piece of blackmail there; could come in handy." He laughed again. You could practically see the steam rushing out of Sirius' ears.

"Call me Dromeda. And I'm glad to be of assistance."

"'Kay, then. Call me James. Y'know, you're a lot less like your sister than we first thought. How come you're not a Gryffindor?"

Dromeda grinned. "I don't really know. I suppose the Hat just… I… Hmm, beats me. I don't think I would really fit in Gryffindor, though."

Sirius tilted his head to one side. "I disagree. Either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw, I think. Not Slytherin though… The Hat must be going senile."

Dromeda laughed again. _He might be right, you know. I feel more comfortable here than I ever did in Slytherin. _"Yeah… But Slytherin is going to win the Quidditch match. And don't you know it!"

Sirius stuck his tongue out. "Yeah right. You wish." He grinned again- the grin he reserved for her only- before turning back to James and the other boy, Pettigrew, and saying, "c'mon. If we hurry we can visit Remus in the Hospital Wing before Transfiguration…"

"What's wrong with him?" Andromeda asked, just being polite. Sirius froze and shot a glance at James.

"Err… just… nothing serious, just… erm… flu. A cold. But, you know Madam Jones… yeah anyway, see ya." Sirius quickly hugged her, and then ran out of the hall, closely followed by James, leaving a bemused Lily and Andromeda behind.

---

---

When Bellatrix arrived at Dumbledore's classroom, she found the Professor and her cousin already there and waiting. Dumbledore smiled and flicked his wand once, causing a chair to pull itself out from under the table. Bella sat down, ignoring Sirius, who was watching her annoyingly.

Dumbledore walked round his desk so that he was facing them. "Right, now you're both here… I want you to write lines. _'My cousin is not a target for my spells' _one thousand times. He smiled mildly at them, then, popping an Acid Pop into his mouth, left the room. Sirius expected his cousin to immediately attack him, but instead Bellatrix just picked up her quill and smiled sweetly at him. That was when he started to feel scared. Bella smiling? She was plotting something. She never smiled unless she was hiding something.

"Bella?" He tried, knowing that at any second she could turn on him.

"Yes?" She said in a falsely sweet voice.

"Are- are you ok?"

"Never better, Snuffles. Why?"

"You seem a bit happy."

"For God's sake, Sirius. Can't I be happy, or have you put a tax on it? That reminds me, you still owe me three hundred galleons from the summer."

Sirius looked at her curiously, but there was no point. Bellatrix could hide her expressions when she wanted. That was one of the main similarities between them, one of many, though neither of them admitted it. "Are you gonna tell me why you are so happy?" He said in a forced calm.

"Nope!" Bella was sitting at the edge of her seat, and Sirius could tell that she was really excited. Knowing Bella, it was probably something extremely Dark- Artsy to get her this hyped up. He also noticed that she was twirling her fingers around her wand- a dangerous sign. He knew that she had either discovered or created a new spell, and was itching to try it out on the first non-Slytherin first year that was unfortunate enough to cross her path. He couldn't help but laugh; people said _he_ was cocky.

Bellatrix looked up. "What's so funny?" She asked, her voice edged with suspicion.

Sirius decided to give her a taste of her own medicine. "Not gonna tell you, Trixie."

Bella turned on him. "Don't. Call. Me. Trixie!" She said as if she was talking to an incompetent three- year old. She shot a look of pure ice at the Gryffindor, before picking up her quill and returning to her lines. Sirius hadn't even started yet. This had not gone unnoticed by Bella. "You'll want to start those lines. Or are lines too common for the noble Gryffindors?" She sneered, surveying him with distaste.

"Shut up."

"Ooh, good comeback." Sarcasm was dripping from her every word. Nevertheless, though, she turned back to her lines, having filled half a page already. Sirius copied.

Exactly one hour later, Professor Dumbledore walked back into the classroom, bracing himself for the state that his classroom would be in after having the Black cousins locked in there for a full hour. However, he was surprised to find the classroom exactly as he had left it, but with a tense hostility in the air as Bellatrix and Sirius shot icy looks at one another.

"Well," Dumbledore said cheerfully, "isn't this a surprise? I expected to find at least one dead body by now!" They both looked up at his voice. Bellatrix stood up and handed him her three sheets of parchment, covered in neat, slanted writing. He flicked through them, then smiled serenely at her, and holding open the door. She passed him without a word. Sirius held out his sheets, this time covered in a messy scrawl, to him. Sirius found a nagging at the back of his mind; should he tell Dumbledore about his suspicions of what his evil cousin was about to do? Then, the Marauder in him kicked in. _Padfoot! What are you thinking? Tell a teacher? NO!!! You go and catch her in the act!_ Sirius grinned at the Professor, and walked out the door.

Instead of taking a left towards the Gryffindor Common Room, he turned right, towards where he knew his cousin would be. It was not easy to find her or her Slytherin gang- the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy carried a long way.

"I _said,_ get out of my way, you filthy little Mudblood!" Sirius poked his head around the corner, enough to see Bellatrix and Malfoy standing with their backs to him, and behind them stood about ten other Slytherins. They were all laughing at someone… Sirius edged along the wall in order to see whom. With disgust he realised that they were a first-year Hufflepuff girl, who was cowering at their feet.

"I- I'm s-sorry. Please…"

Bellatrix laughed in a crazy way. "Please? _Please? _You think that we'll let you off because you say _please?_ Really, Mudbloods do get stupider by the minute."

The girl burst into tears.

Lucius looked down at her, disgusted. "Despicable… You know, Bella, I say we give her a taste of what happens to people who get it our way."

"Couldn't agree more, Lucius." Bella's face lit up in an evil smirk. The people behind her laughed. Sirius couldn't believe his eyes.

"Bella, would you like to do the honours? You are _very_ good at it, I must say."

"Why, thank you." Bella grinned again, and kissed Lucius quickly on the lips. The Hufflepuff looked beyond terrified- she now looked that she would rather face a Basilisk. Bellatrix turned to her. "This is going to hurt. A lot." She pointed her wand at the trembling first-year, and shouted, "CRUCIO!"

As the girl's screams of pain filled the air, Sirius wanted to be sick. His _fifteen-year-old _cousin was knowingly using an Unforgivable! He had always though that Bella's evil had subsided in trashing her sister's toys and petty little hexes, but now she was doing something that could get her locked up in Azkaban for the rest of her life.

The girl's screams ended as Bellatrix lowered her wand, quietening into hurried sobs. Bella's normally beautiful face was lit up by an insane smile now plastered along her features, making her look quite demented.

Lucius laughed, joined by the others. "Next time, Mudblood, maybe you'll think twice about deliberately annoying us, wont you?" The little girl just whimpered. Malfoy's face became contorted with anger and frustration. "I asked you a question! Answer me, Mudblood! Or do you want Bellatrix to give you another taster of the Cruciatus?"

Fresh tears ran down the Hufflepuffs' petrified face at the thought of more pain. "I'm sorry, a-and I'll never do it again. Just please… no more."

Malfoy grinned. "That's better. And remember, you are to tell no one. Do you understand me? You. Tell. No-one." The first-year nodded, still curled up on the ground. Lucius grabbed Bella's hand and began walking away, the other Slytherins following.

Sirius flattened himself behind the statue as they passed. As soon as their laughter and footsteps had faded out of earshot, he emerged and sprinted over to where the Hufflepuff was curled up on the ground. He shook her shoulder gently, and her head snapped up, terrified. Sirius looked back at her worriedly, taking in her tangled hair and tear-tracked face. "Are you all right?"

"No. They… it hurt… that girl…"

"Listen, that girl is my cousin. I'm going to tell someone, she can't go around doing this…"

"NO! Please don't tell! They'll know it's me, and then it'll be worse."

"I have to tell someone. They deserve to be locked up for this. I'll look after you, don't worry."

The girl nodded, gulping and sniffing loudly. "It's because I'm a Muggle-born…"

"They're just idiots. There's nothing wrong with being Muggle-born. Come on, I'll get you to the Hospital Wing, Madam Jones will patch you up."

As Sirius helped the little girl away, he promised himself that Bellatrix would pay for this.

---

It being Saturday, and sunny, the entire population of Hogwarts went outside to soak up the sunlight. Bellatrix, along with most of the 5th year Slytherins and Narcissa sat by the bench under the large oak tree near the Quidditch pitch. Her fingers entwined with Lucius', Bella sat on the bench, chatting away. Cissy sat behind her, tying Bella's unruly black curls in different styles.

Bella looked up as a small boy in Slytherin robes came running up to her. It was Regulus, Sirius' little brother, in second year.

"Hey, Reg."

"H- hey, Bell- Bella…" That boy needed to do more exercise and less geeky studying. Just running from the tree by the lake to the oak had worn him out.

Regulus was short and skinny, with messy dark hair and brown eyes. He spent all his time in his room at Grimmauld Place, and was rarely seen outside the library at Hogwarts. He was quiet, and jittery, preferring to hide behind the people who had power, instead of getting it himself. He was the quietist of the Blacks, and Walburga, his mother, was constantly trying to toughen it up. All Blacks were smart, but Regulus was the only one who studied non- stop. Sirius pretended they weren't related, like he did with the rest of his family.

"Hi, Cissy…" He wheezed, trying to catch his breath.

Bella sat forward, earning an annoyed huff from Narcissa, who had been trying to do a French Plait in her hair. "What's wrong?"

"Sirius- Sirius wants to see you, Bella…"

"Oh, what now!" Bella hissed, sanding up and yanking her bag from the grass. Regulus following in tow, she left the Slytherins and, muttering the horrible deaths she had planned for Sirius under her breath, made her way to the tree by the lake, where Sirius, Potter, Pettigrew and Lupin sat.

"What?" She demanded, jutting out one hip and placing her hand on it.

Sirius laughed. "You're always so angry."

"Yes. Well done." She snapped, trying to untangle the half- finished French Plait Cissy had styled. Sirius grinned again. Bellatrix sighed. "What do you want _now_?"

"Well, actually, I was just showing James here why I hated my family. You're 'Exhibit A.'

"Ha, ha. You're not serious, are you?"

"Yes. I'm Sirius. Sirius Black. Pleased to meet you.

Bella rolled her eyes. He'd been using the same joke since he learnt what 'serious' meant, and it wasn't funny. It never had been.

The four idiots rolled around on the grass, greatly annoying her.

"Very funny. To be honest the joke got old after the first time you used it. Mind you, with your sense of humour, you probably can't think of another, or your brain might explode." She snapped.

Sirius flew to his feet, and walked to her side, so he was facing the other three. "Well, boys, here we have the classic Black; arrogant, haughty, and obsessed with Blood Status."

The boys burst out laughing. Taking this opportunity, Sirius hissed at Bella. _"I saw what you did to that Hufflepuff yesterday."_

"Piss off."

"The Blacks," Sirius continued, ignoring his cousin and putting on a very bad commentator's accent. "Are famous for their aristocracy, Brandy and money. All Blacks are filthy rich, and are generally convinced that they are Pureblooded royalty. It is traditional for Blacks to be in Slytherin, and marry into Pureblood families, hence the motto, _Tonjous Pur, _or Always Pure." Here Sirius stopped his tirade, to look down at his cousin and sling an arm around her shoulders. "Here we have the rare species, _Bellatrix-us Black-us, _recognised by the slutty attire, haughty expression and Slytherin tie."

Bellatrix burst out laughing. "Ha! That's a good one. _'Rare species?'_ That's a bit ironic, especially…" She narrowed her eyes at the quiet boy leaning against the tree, reading. "With wolf- boy, here."

The last thing Bella saw were the four boys looking at her, with shocked expressions, before everything went black.

**Ooh, cliffhanger!**

**Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it ********. Also, I'll try to make the update for the next one not so prolonged… sorry:D**

**xXx**


	9. Promises

**Hey people! Yes, run for you lives, it is meeeeeee!!! Moo ha ha.**

**Anyways, sorry about the late update. I had MEGA procrastination, and I was skiing, and all that Jazz. **

**Yeah, anyways, this chap s dedicated to my reviewrs... namely .Nymphadorable., xxxGingerGirlxxx, SweetDeamon, Lady Charity, edward and alice cullen, pinkalarmclock, xxStephanieMeyerWannabexx, Miriamimus, equal-oppurtunity-candy-eater, Sakura999, and Life Crashes Barriers. I could not live without you guys!!! **

**Disclaimer: What do these three things have in common... A) I am JK Rowling, B) I hate Harry Potter C) Harry Potter sucks.**

**Answer: They're all LIES!!!

* * *

**

**Chapter 9**

Bella awoke with a start; all around her was pitch black and she cold feel more than one person staring at her intently. She opened her mouth to scream, but someone's large hand clamped over her mouth, stifling her voice.

"Don't make a sound." Bella was shocked; this was Sirius talking. Suddenly a stampede of questions rushed through her head- _'How long have I been unconscious?' 'Who else is here?' 'Where am I?'_

Suddenly, another voice joined them. "She awake, Pads?" _James Potter? Pads? What? _Bella felt Sirius turn to face Potter, his hand still shoved over her mouth. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness now; she was sitting against a wall in a kind of tunnel, and she could just make out four blurry figures surrounding her. She didn't have her wand, but her hands were untied.

"Mmphsmm?" With Sirius' huge hand over her mouth, Bella was finding it hard to breathe. Sirius turned his head and looked at her, ignoring her incoherent sentences. He narrowed his eyes, and grabbed both of her flailing wrists in his spare hand. She continued to struggle, despite being wandless and completely outnumbered.

Sirius looked his cousin straight in the eyes, onyx meeting onyx, and took his hand away from her mouth. "Ok, Bella, _you_ have some explaining to do."

Bella decided to play the innocence card while she could. "About what, Sirius?"

"You know perfectly well _what, _Trixie! How did you find out about… y'know, Moony and all?"

"Moony?" Bella was confused. Sirius sighed.

"I mean… Remus. How did you find out?"

"I have my ways." Bellatrix smirked in the pompous way she had, infuriating Sirius even more. It worked; Sirius growled, sounding oddly like a dog, and the hand that had been over her mouth flew to her neck. Quickly, he removed it, but glared daggers at her, all the while. Bella stared right back at him, setting her jaw defiantly.

After three minutes of silent glares, James Potter clapped his friend on the back. Sirius looked around, before turning to his younger cousin. "How, Bella, did you find out?"

"Don't question my abilities."

"DAMMIT BELLA! JUST TELL ME! HOW THE FUCK DID YOU FIND OUT???"

"God, calm down. There's no point shouting. Where are we anyway?"

"Bell-" Sirius started, but Bella interrupted. "Answer me that question, and I will tell you."

Sirius sighed. He opened his mouth to speak, but was again cut off, but this time by a quiet, frail-looking boy about five feet away. "We're in a secret tunnel, under the statue of the one-eyed witch. Now, Black, will you please tell me how you found out about my… furry little problem." Remus Lupin said all of this very quietly, but everyone heard him.

"Furry little problem… that sounds like a rabbit. But because you were so polite, I will answer you." It was all Bella could do to keep her voice level. Beside her, Sirius was shaking, still holding her wrists. Their eyes met, and Bella smirked annoyingly. "Well, y'know the Whomping Willow? Well, my dormitory's semi-underground, and there's a window really high up that shows the Whomping Willow, and I was looking out and I saw you lot. I always knew that there was something canine about you, Siri…"

"Oh, God, Bella, how much do you know?"

Bella leaned closer, to annoy him every further. "Everything." She whispered. "How you three are Animagi. Unregistered, may I add? And then the Lycanthropy…" A fully-fledged smirk on her lips now, she stared mockingly into her cousin's eyes. Sirius felt his hands go sweaty. If she had told anyone…

"'Kay, Bells, how many people did you tell?"

"No one."

Sirius scoffed at this. Bellatrix Black, not telling anyone? She was the biggest chatterbox in Hogwarts, bar Rita Skeeter, of course. She had to have told someone… Malfoy, or Rabastan Lestrange, another boy she hung out with. "Yeah, right, Bella. Who did you tell?"

"I told you, _no one_! It's good blackmail!"

Sirius found himself going oddly relaxed at this statement. There were two things Bellatrix could have done; one, told all her friends; or two, kept it to herself and use it for blackmail. He felt a wide grin spread across his face, and turned to face the other three boys.

"Prongs, Moony, Worms, we're going to see Dumbledore!" He made to stand (well, crouch, which was all you could do in this tunnel), but Bella caught his arm.

"_Dumbledore?" _She hissed, glaring into his eyes. He smiled and nodded; yanking her onto her feet and making sure that her head hit the ceiling. Potter had already opened the secret door back into the main corridor of Hogwarts, and stepped out, followed by Lupin. The third boy, rather fat and short, who must be 'Worms', gestured for Sirius to go first. Sirius dragged Bella out by her arm, just grinning as she whispered threats under her breath, so that only he could hear.

Bellatrix tried to keep her dignity as her cousin dragged her through the school, all the while failing dismally.

They arrived at the Headmaster's office, when Sirius stopped, and stared at the gargoyle, with a quiet, "ah…"

Potter, next to him, stopped and opened his mouth, then shut it again. "Ah," he said, too. The other two boys stopped in their tracks.

"What now?" Bella snapped.

"I- err…" Sirius seemed to be, for once, lost for words.

"Anyone know the password?" Piped up the plump, ratty boy whose voice was too high for a sixteen-year-old. It was almost a squeak. _Although, _thought Bella, _judging by his Animagus form, that isn't really a surprise. _Then she realised.

"You guys don't know the password? Oh, my God…"

Lupin coughed behind her. "Actually, I do. I need it for my… y'know…"

No one said anything to this, so Lupin carried on. "Chocolate Frog!" The other four turned to look at him at this random outburst, but as they heard the scrape of the stone gargoyle behind them, they realised exactly why he said it.

Sirius shoved Bella onto the moving spiral staircase, following behind. As the others joined them, Bella stamped on her cousin's foot, hard. He elbowed her back. She kicked his shin. He was about to retaliate when the staircase stopped, and a calm voice said from inside the office, "Enter."

Potter opened the door and Sirius shoved Bella in. She could feel herself going bright red under the gaze of the Headmaster, who was feeding his phoenix. Fawkes hooted softly at the new arrivals.

Dumbledore smiled at them, then walked around his desk and sat down, surveying them over the tips of his finger. "How can I help you?" He sounded as if he already knew exactly what was going on.

"Bellatrix found out." Sirius growled, sounding very, _very _canine.

"Ah. I see your problem."

They stood there in silence for a few minutes. Sirius had a very uncomfortable hold on the neck of Bella's robes; her neck was starting to hurt. He also had her wand, which was unfortunate. She could see it sticking out of his cloak pocket… maybe she could reach it…

"Miss Black?" Bella snapped her head up at her name, cricking it against her cousin's knuckles.

"_Ow!"_ She hissed at Sirius over her shoulder, before turning to the Headmaster again. "Yes, sir?" She asked with all manner of innocence. Sirius scoffed.

"Is this true, Mss Black? You know about Mr Lupin's problem?"

She nodded, looking away from his blue eyes. "So, what do you propose we do?"

Bella looked up. "Huh?" Wasn't he the one who was meant to be _telling _them what to do? "I- err… don't know, Professor."

Dumbledore simply smiled at her and turned his gaze on her cousin. "Sirius? Any ideas?"

Sirius looked confused, just as Bella had. "Err… we kill her?" He said hopefully, gripping the collar of her robes even tighter.

Dumbledore laughed. "No, Sirius, I don't think your aunt and uncle would be very happy with that arrangement."

_Yeah, they would, _Bella thought sadly. _They hate me. Narcissa's the angel of the family… and Dromeda can do no wrong. I'm just ignored. Ignored or blamed for everything. _She blinked hard to get rid of the tears that threatened in her eyes. She looked up, as arrogant as ever, and unwillingly met the astonishingly blue eyes of the Headmaster. He gave her the slightest of sympathetic smiles, as if he'd read her mind. She dropped her gaze to her shoes again, studying them intently.

"Professor? I have an idea..." Lupin spoke up.

"Yes, Remus?"

"Well- James, Peter and Sirius were sworn to secrecy… so maybe…"

"We could do the same for Miss Black? I quite agree, Remus."

Bellatrix looked at Dumbledore. _'Sworn to secrecy?' What? _Dumbledore walked around his desk, so that he was standing right in front of Bellatrix and Sirius. "Sirius, please let your cousin go." Bella yanked herself out of Sirius' grip, stumbling forward slightly. Dumbledore caught her shoulders, and she felt herself go bright red again. He just smiled down at her. "Now, Bellatrix, please would you put your hand over your heart…" Reluctantly, she followed his orders. Pettigrew laughed, and she shot him a glare. He shut up.

"If you please, Bellatrix," Dumbledore continued, pointing his wand at her. "Repeat after me. _I promise…"_

Bella thought for a minute. After a quick analysis of the situation, she realised that she really had no choice. "I promise…"

"To keep the secret of Remus Lupin…"

"To k-keep the secret of R-Remus Lupin…"

"And not to tell anyone…"

"And… not… to tell anyone…"

"If I do betray Lupin's trust…"

Bella narrowed her eyes. This was what she had been dreading. Dumbledore surveyed her over his half-moon glasses. She looked down. "If I – do betray Lupin's t-trust…"

"Then something of my life will be affected just as Lupin's has been."

"Then something of m-my life will be affected j-just as… Lupin's… has been."

A bluey-purple jet of light shot out of Dumbledore's wand and wound its way around her. Her eyes widened in shock, but it was gone before she could open her mouth. She looked up, confused, at Dumbledore. He smiled again.

"You may go now."

Bella turned on her heel, infuriated, and, pushing past her cousin, stormed out of the office.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Slytherin common room, and entirely different ruckus had started. It had started, however, with Bella's disappearance. 

"Oh, God! Cissa, do you know where our idiot of a sister is? She has my Transfiguration book." Andromeda, like Bellatrix, had an incredibly short temper.

"No… the last I saw her she was being dragged of by Sirius. Nothing new, really. What's the incantation for the Levitating Charm, again, Drom?"

"It's _Wingardium Leviosa. _Oh, I hope Sirius kills her…"

Narcissa didn't answer, she was bent over her work.

Dromeda flopped down on the leather sofas next to her. "So… how are you settling in?"

Narcissa looked up. "Oh, I'm Ok… no one's gonna bully me with Bella around- and you're helping me with our homework, so yeah, I'm good." She smiled at her older sister. "The only problem is that we're surrounded by Mudbloods…"

Andromeda coughed loudly, staring at the eleven-year-old in shock. "_Where _did you hear that word?"

"Andromeda, if you really are that thick, I'm not sure that I want you helping me with my homework anymore. We live with Bella, remember?"

"I'm not stupid, Cissy. What else did that slut teach you?"

"Well, she said something about how one day we will rule the world and they will serve under us… and they don't deserve to live, and… um… she said that there was this Dark Lord guy who was recruiting new arrivals… but she couldn't say anymore because Sirius shoved a chocolate frog down her throat. And what's a slut?"

"Cissy! You're eleven! You shouldn't _know _stuff like that! God! Bella's gone too far this time- if she thinks that she's gonna turn you into a mini version of herself… oh, I could kill her! In fact, I just might! I can't _stand _her!"

Narcissa rolled her eyes and returned to her essay. It was always like this… those two just couldn't get along. However, she could see Dromeda's point- recently Bella had laughed in quite a scary way… almost insanely.

_She's gonna turn you into a mini version of herself…_Cissa shuddered. She didn't want to turn out like Bella, who, although was _very _popular with her band of friends- had very many enemies. She was also, according to Dromeda, a 'slut', whatever that was.

"What's the opening charm incantation again?" Narcissa only said it to try and distract Andromeda from her current I-Hate-Bellatrix rant, but she had no such luck.

"It's _Alohomora,_ Cissy, do you ever pay attention in class? And, oh, my God, Bella thinks that she can just walk around Hogwarts like she bloody well _owns _it… stupid bitch, one day she's gonna get what she deserves, and I'll be laughing. Yes, I will. I'll be laughing my head off. Even if she kills everything that I love, I will laugh in her dead face. Because one day, she'll get her arse landed in Azkaban, and then…"

Cissy ignored her and turned back to her work.

Bella appeared in the Slytherin Common Room looking incredibly… well, pissed off. She flopped down on the sofa next to Narcissa and stared into the flames, glaring. Cissa put her finished essay on her sister's lap. "Can you check it, please, Bella?"

With the famous Black scowl on her face, she picked up her sister's Charms essay and scanned through it. "You mixed up _Lumos _and _Nox. _They're the other way around." She gave her baby sister a smile as she watched her hastily cross out the mistakes.

"_There _you are! God, I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Recognising the voice of who was speaking, Bella sighed. "Hello, Andromeda. What do you want now?"

"I want my Transfiguration book. I know you've taken it. And I want you to stop putting silly ideas into Narcissa's head. She's only eleven, for God's sake, she can't even perform a Levitating charm yet!"

"I can too!" Cissa objected, but was silenced as her sisters shot her identical Shut-Up looks. Sometimes, having two sisters who looked like they could be twins was rather annoying. "Ok, fine, I can't, but I'm _getting _there!"

"Good to hear it, Cissa," Bella started fiddling with a strand of Narcissa's blonde hair before turning to Andromeda. "What do you mean, _putting ideas into her head?_"

"You know perfectly well what I mean. All that stuff about Purebloods over Muggle-Borns! She even knows about the Dark Lord! Are you _trying _to turn her into a monster? A mini-you?"

Bella smirked at this. "She needs to know. And it's Mudbloods, not Muggle-Borns, Drommie. You're starting to sound like Sirius."

"She doesn't _need to know!_ She has been at Hogwarts for three weeks! You can't start teaching her the Cruciatus curse! And thank you, I'd much rather sound like Sirius than you."

The two sisters hadn't realised that the entire Common Room was listening to their heated conversation. Either that, or, they didn't care.

Bella laughed. "Did I say anything about the Cruciatus? No." Her eyes narrowed. "And Sirius is a Blood-Traitor, Dromeda. Walburga blasted him off the tapestry this summer, remember? Are you planning on joining him?"

"Well… it'd be a damn site better than living with you! Fine! You teach Cissy to be a murderess by twelve! Just don't come crying to me when everything goes wrong!" With that, Andromeda stormed of to her dormitory.

"If she runs away… can I have her room?" Narcissa looked up at Bella expectantly. Her eldest sister had set her jaw in a way that made her look incredibly like Sirius, but at her question she laughed, and put her legs up on the sofa.

"I suppose so. Lets hope she doesn't stay too long, eh?"

Narcissa looked down, and scribbled her name across the top of the Parchment. She put it in her bag, and stood up.

"I'm going to bed, now, Bells. I've got a test in the morning. Night."

"Night, Cissy." Bella hugged her tightly, kissing her forehead. As Cissa headed to the Girls' Dormitories, she remembered something. She turned and, leaning over the back of the sofa her sister was lounged out on, she said,

"And, Bella… Drommie said you were a slut. What is that?" Bellatrix stood up so fast that she elbowed Cissa in the head. She looked furious.

"ANDROMEDA!!!" She screamed, tearing for her sister's dormitory.

Cissy bit her lip. Maybe that wasn't the best time to ask…

* * *

The Slytherin vs. Gryffindor Quidditch math was to be played in a few hours, and the air was very tense. 

The seven Slytherins sat in their changing room, waiting for the whistle that would signal them to come out. The Slytherin team was good this tear- their Seeker and Captain, Lucius Malfoy, had put together a strong combination of players. Rabastan Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov were the two Beaters, Andromeda Black as the Keeper, and Bellatrix Black, Evan Rosier and Alexandrov Parkinson as Chasers. They were all determined for a win.

There had been a few more shouting matches between the two sisters, and now they sat in stony silence. Bella was plaiting her waist-length curls, and Dromeda polishing her Comet 290. Antonin and Evan were thumb-wrestling, Lucius was pushing little figures around a miniature Quidditch pitch with his wand, muttering to himself. Rabastan and Alexandrov were talking in the corner. Bella sighed heavily and went over to her boyfriend. Pulling up a chair, she sat down next to Lucius and slipped her hand into his. His grey eyes met her black and he smiled.

"Bella, gorgeous, do you think your sister should try the Starfish and Stick move, or should she just stick to dong what she normally does?"

"Oh, leave it. Her tiny brain probably couldn't handle being told to do something on such short notice. We can try out the Starfish whatsit at practise."

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders. "You really want to beat Black, don't you?"

"Yes. More than anything, really. And I want to prove to those idiots that I can play Quidditch."

Lucius chuckled. He remembered the rumours that had went round when he had posted the list for the Team- that Bella was only on the team because she was Lucius' girlfriend. He knew her better- the small fact that she had been on the team since the middle of her second year accounted for most of that.

"You're an excellent Chaser, my dear. I couldn't find anyone better, even if I searched the entire country."

"You flatter me, darling." She said, and leant in to kiss him, but as their lips were about to meet, the whistle blew, and everyone jumped to their feet.

"Lets go!" Lucius shouted eagerly as they grabbed their brooms and mounted them, the sunlight half-blinding them as the doors opened to reveal the screaming crowd.

* * *

**Aww! Lucius/Bella fluff!**

**Ok, next Chapter will be the Quidditch game and Cissy's birthday- 28th September. (No, that isn't her real brthday, it's my friend Jade's, who roleplayes her. ) Also, Pansy's dad isn't really called Alexandrov- I made that up. LOL I'm random.**

**The Starfish and Stick is a Keeper's Quidditch move where they hang from their brooms to catch the Quaffle. Its in Quidditch through the ages, if you want to look it up.**

**Reviews will be gladly accepted. Flames will be used to toast marshmallows. ((Yumm, marshmallows...))**

**Ellie xxxx**


	10. Quidditch

**Why hello there… it is ME again… but then, who else would it be? On MY fanfiction account? Ah, well. –hums jaws theme for no reason at all-**

**For some reason I keep thinking it's January… yeah, just had to get that out.**

**NOOO!! Miriamus! How do you not like Lucitrix? Worship the Lucitrix, I say, WORSHIP!!**

**It was my birthday on Friday ((21****st March****)). I was thirteen! D am now OFFICIALLY a teenager!! Woopwoop! –victory dance-**

**Yeah… anyway… enjoy!!**

**Chapter 10 **

Bella grinned as she saw the blurs of the four House Colours flash in the stands, adrenaline pumping through her. She stood between Alexandrov and Evan, waiting as Madam Gordon signalled for them to fly forward. When the nod finally came, the seven Slytherins kicked off from the ground, and flew in a V-formation round the pitch, dodging the few items thrown at them by Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and Hufflepuffs.

When their round of the pitch was done, they flew into a half-circle position, waiting for the Gryffindors. Madam Gordon blew her tinny whistle again, and the gates to the Gryffindors opened. The seven red and gold clad figures flew their own lap, receiving a lot more cheers than the Slytherins had. Bella could easily recognise all of them; Marlene McKinnon, keeper; Frank Longbottom and Sirius Black, the beaters; James Potter, Louisa Woodcock and Olivia Fawcett, the chasers; and Henry Till, the seeker. Sirius held his middle finger up at Bella, then smoothed back his hair and smiled at Dromeda. Bella sneered at him, but before he could react, Madam Gordon blew her whistle again and ordered Captains to shake hands. Lucius and Potter stepped forward and practically punched each other's hands.

When the two boys stepped back, Madam Gordon blew her whistle yet again. The box was opened, and four balls zoomed into the air. Woodcock, the Gryffindor chaser, grabbed the Quaffle first, flying up to avoid the Slytherin team. Bellatrix and Alexandrov soared up; while Evan flew out to the left, ready to make a shot at goal if either of them passed him the Quaffle. Louisa Woodcock flew even higher, reaching the level of the stands. Bella came up from underneath her, while Parkinson blocked her from in front. As she braked, and tried to swerve away from him, Bella came up from beneath, nearly knocking her off her broom. Woodcock dropped the Quaffle, and Bella caught it, side-passing to Evan before the Gryffindors had time to think. Booing erupted from three of the four houses at Bella's illegal move, but she ignored them.

Sirius turned at the noise, and narrowed his eyes at his younger cousin. Swinging his beater's bat experimentally, he turned his broom and headed towards Bellatrix. She was flying up the pitch towards the Gryffindor goalposts… he had to wait for the right time… When she was about to catch the Quaffle- she would be off guard… NOW!! He swung his bat hard at a passing bludger; it bounced off towards Bella, who still hadn't seen anything.

It collided with her wrist with terrible impact, and she dropped the Quaffle. Olivia Fawcett flew beneath her and caught it, flying off to try for a goal. Bella wriggled her wrist around; it wasn't broken, it just hurt a lot. Whipping round her head to see who had hit the bludger, her eyes met Sirius', and narrowed. He winked at her, before flying off to whack a bludger at Lucius, who was still looking around for any signs of the snitch. Muttering curses under her breath, Bella flew off to tackle Potter, who was currently in possession of the Quaffle.

Half an hour of raging war later, the scores were 180-130 to Gryffindor, with five players sent off in total for injuries and fouls. Bella, furious and determined to win, had scored most of the goals, as she was the only chaser left; Alex had been sent off for jumping onto Longbottom's broom, and Evan had taken Sirius' well-aimed bludger to the head just five minutes into the game. Lucius had had no luck in finding the snitch yet, but he was trying.

Fawcett, the Gryffindor chaser, was in possession of the Quaffle right now. Only one Gryffindor chaser was down; Potter and Fawcett had still managed to survive. Bella was currently finding it hard to score, what with the two against one situation she was in. However, Rabastan and Antonin were very good beaters, and Dromeda was saving more goals than she let in, which was more than could be said for the Gryffindor chaser, Marlene McKinnon, who Bella had kicked off her broom, falling 60 feet, when she'd saved a goal.

A huge booing erupted from three-quarters of the stadium, meaning Andromeda had saved another goal. She passed it to Bella without a word. Bella grabbed it and flew off in the opposite direction, towards the open Gryffindor goalposts. She ducked a bludger Sirius sent her way, and avoided Fawcett's tackle. Potter flew up right in front of her, blocking her way. She started to swerve, but he followed her, until a well-placed bludger by Antonin made him duck and she was able to pass him.

She threw the red ball into the hoop, the green and silver clad quarter of the stands erupting into cheers. A grin spread over her face. 140-180. Only four more goals.

The next five minutes were as vicious as a Hungarian Horntail with a hangover. The score was 200-210, still with Gryffindor in the lead. There had been a scrabble when Lucius had spotted the snitch, followed by the Gryffindor seeker, Till, although both of them had managed to lose sight of it.

A bludger whizzed past her with great force; she ducked her head just in time and the metal ball sped over her head. Tucking the Quaffle tighter under her arm, she headed towards the Gryffindor goalposts, until a dull _thwack _came from behind, startling her. Turning her head to see what was going on, she saw the bludger she had ducked hit Antonin Dolohov, and he fell from his broom. _Another player down…_she thought, and sped off, throwing the leather ball through the hoop.

"And Black- Bellatrix, that is- has scored another goal. 210-all. Well, she's bound to get lucky sometimes… But, come on, we all know that she can't play to save her life. Malfoy's only lets her on the team because they're dating. Oh, and Fawcett, Olivia Fawcett of Gryffindor, has the Quaffle…"

Bella's head snapped around when she heard this; _who _had let Rita Skeeter do the commentary? She could feel all the blood rush to her head in anger. Rita Skeeter, by far the most talkative girl in school, hated Bellatrix because she was more popular. Skeeter would do anything to be popular, but her methods of making friends, basically gossiping and making everyone else around her feel bad, weren't very successful.

Growling under her breath and sending death glares at the blonde in the stands, Bella flew back into action. She was over the other side of the pitch to the action; Fawcett was going to go for goal, hopefully Andromeda could save it… and she did. The Slytherins' cheering was blocked out by boos and hisses from the other three houses. Dromeda, as quick as ever, passed the Quaffle to Bella before anyone could block their way. Bella turned and headed up the pitch, the wind whipping through her hair. The Gryffindor goalposts were open again…

In the stands, Narcissa and Regulus stood, Slytherin scarves round their necks. Although his robes proudly bore green and silver, Regulus was having second thoughts about his house. He couldn't help feeling a bit guilty about cheering when his brother was hit in the head by a bludger. Sirius, although neither of them wanted it publicized, was his brother, and he cared about him. He loved Bella and Dromeda too, but they weren't his brothers.

Regulus was startled by his fellow Slytherins screaming and cheering around him, jolting him from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw that Bella had scored another goal. Blinking stupidly a few times, he joined his cousin in the celebration. "Cissy…?" he said, once the battle on the pitch had reassumed, and the crowds had quietened.

The blonde turned to him, enjoyment in her eyes. It was her first time watching a Hogwarts Quidditch game, and she loved it. "Yeah, Reg?" She said, locking her blue eyes onto his hazel.

"Do… d'you think we should be supporting Gryffindor? For- for Sirius' sake, I mean."

Cissa turned her head back to the pitch, her straight blonde hair flying behind her in the wind. "I don't know." She said slowly. "I mean, I can see where you're coming from, him being your older brother and all… but, I suppose, were in Slytherin, aren't we? And he's in Gryffindor. We're enemies in a competitive way. Slytherin versus Gryffindor. He's still family, but we can compete against him. In a friendly way, y'know?"

Regulus nodded. He was glad he's asked Narcissa, instead of his other cousins, as Bella would have started ranting about how much Blood Purity mattered, and Dromeda would have given such a complex answer that it would take him weeks to figure out what she really said. "Yeah… I suppose…"

She laughed quietly, before hitting him lightly on the arm. "Besides, Reg, you don't expect _Sirius _to be secretly supporting Slytherin do you?" Cissa smiled at him, then turned her head back to the scramble on the pitch, glancing at the scoreboard. 240-all. _This is turning out to be a full-on battle_, she thought as she watched Dromeda duck a bludger in the nick of time. Narcissa winced. Somehow she knew that Quidditch was not the pastime for her. Styling Bella's hair, however…

A loud cheering echoed through the stadium as Lucius and Till flew for the same spot; they'd obviously both seen the snitch. Bella swung her broom round to watch them, as did everyone else… They were nearly there…

The two boys collided in mid-air, a dull _thunk _could be heard, and the stadium went quiet, waiting to see who would come out victorious.

Henry Till fell off his broom; undoubtedly Lucius had resorted to some last-minute illegal tackling, but it didn't matter- not to the Slytherins, anyway- because when Lucius emerged from the scrum, his arm was held high, which could only mean one thing: he had caught the snitch. Bella joined in with the cheering that erupted from the silver-and-green quarter of the pitch. Madam Gordon blew her whistle, and yelled out to the crowd; "SLYTHERIN WIN!"

Back in the Slytherin changing rooms, the air was filled with such a buzz that you couldn't help feeling excited. The three injured players were lying on makeshift beds, but with smiles on their faces. The final score was 390-240 to Slytherin, but wouldn't have been that way if it weren't for the excess of cheating they'd resorted to. Bellatrix was ecstatic; the look on her cousin's face when he'd seen they'd won was classic.

The door smashed open and in the frame stood two figures: Narcissa and Regulus. They both were grinning so much that it had to hurt, Narcissa more than Regulus. Cissa ran forward and threw herself at both of her sisters (they were standing next to each other) at once. "That was so _cool!_ You were awesome! And Sirius' face when he saw he'd lost!! When's the next match? Is it soon? Wow, Bella, that goal you scored was amazing, _and _you managed to get rid of the keeper too! And, Drommie, you saved _sooo _many goals! Will you two teach me how to play? Please? I want to be able to join in when we play at home. Regulus can play too, can't you, Reg?" She said, whipping her head round to look at him, but before he could answer, Narcissa was off again. "What do you think I should play? I don't think I'll ever try out for the Team, but at home… Do you think Mother and Daddy will get me a broom for my birthday? Cos it is tomorrow! You two have got me something, right? You're my sisters! And it would be so much better if I knew the Rules and Scoring and stuff, so I wouldn't be so confused when I watch you lot play. When are you next playing, by the way?"

Bella smiled at her baby sister. "You liked it then?" She said mockingly.

Narcissa looked at her eldest sister as if she were mad. "_Yeah,_ durh!!"

Bella was about to reply, when-

"Nice playing, Black." The sickly sweet voice of Rita Skeeter came from behind the Slytherin team. Both Bellatrix and Dromeda turned, but it was obvious that she was talking to Bella.

Bella's dark eyes narrowed, taking in the Ravenclaw's smug face, too-blonde-to-be-natural hair and arrogant pose. "What do you want?"

Rita Skeeter smirked. "I suppose you heard my commentary, then?"

By this time, everyone behind Bella had turned around, and Lucius' arm tightened around his girlfriend's waist when Skeeter brought the commentary up. Bella lifted her head up, looking Rita straight in the eye. "I did." She said shortly.

"So, we wont be seeing you at the next match?" Rita replied, her voice innocent, but her face the picture of malice and envy.

Bella frowned, confused. "I'm sorry?"

"Well, you're only on the team because of him," Rita nodded to Lucius as she said this, drawling the words slowly. Lucius hugged Bella closer to him; he knew what was coming. "And when he finds out you're cheating on him-"

"_What?"_ Bella spat, her heavy-lidded eyes flying open. Lucius stared at the blonde, too, before looking at Bella. She looked at him and shook her head frantically. "Lucius, I… no…" Her eyes flickered from his grey eyes to Rita, and back again.

"I see you two have a lot to talk about…" With that, Rita turned, and walked out of the office.

Lucius' eyebrows knotted together for a second as he looked at his girlfriend, before he shook his head slightly and grinned, kissing her lightly on the lips. "Honestly, Bella," he said, laughter evident in his tone. "You're not going to actually _listen _to her, are you? She's just doing it to wind you up. She's jealous, because you're fabulous and perfect and she's not. Leave it."

Bella smiled, and kissed him again. Narcissa looked disgusted. Pulling away, Bella turned back to the team. "Shall we get to the party, then?"

At the word 'party', Cissa's eyes widened and she looked up at Bella eagerly. "Party? There's a party? Am I invited? Please!! I have this new outfit I'm _dying _to wear, it's, like, a pink top and these _really _nice jeans, sort of… silvery-grey with little diamonds on them. Not real diamonds, of course, but they look really authentic. What are you gonna wear? What about that reddish-pink top? It would go so nicely with you're hair, Bella… You should _so _wear green Drommie, it really brings out your eyes. And how shall I do my hair? Oh, no…"

During Cissa's tirade, Lucius whispered in Bella's ear, "_Does she ever stop talking?"_

Bella laughed softly. _"I'm afraid not."_

Lucius laughed with her as they walked out of the changing rooms, heading towards the dungeons. _"God pity the man who marries her…"_

**Don't you just love Cissa?**

**Yeah, the last line just came to me while I was writing it… Notice anything? If you know **_**anything**_** about the Malfoys then you should. –clicks knuckles threateningly- And you better…**

**Yeah, I have the next few chapters planned out, but if you have any mega-cool suggestions that you're dying to say, leave a review!! Or just leave a review anyway, I'm not fussy, really…**

**Oh, and also, it this story Cissy's birthday is the next day, so if you want to leave her a present… drop a review!!**

**Ellie xxxx**


	11. Parties, Presents and Princesses

**Hey there, people. How are you this fine rainy day? (Well, it's raining in England, but then again, when doesn't it rain… These are the questions that haunt me… -sighs-) Anyways, here is a new chappie of Bella. It's a very Cissy-filled chapter, so… yeah. Enjoy!**

**Oh, and unless JKR is willing to sell the rights to Harry Potter for a Mars Bar (Yumm…) and a cheesy smile, hen no, I do not own HP. **

**Oh, and also, the 'T' on my keyboard isn't working very well (I have o pres it about twenty times to get one letter out) so a few may be missing. :D**

**Chapter 11**

The Slytherin Common Room erupted with cheers as the Team walked in. Nott, one of Lucius' friends, had gone to the kitchen to get some food, and the two tables put out for it were creaking under the weight. After they'd changed, the party really began. The music was so loud that Dromeda could hardly think. She was sitting on the sofa watching everyone, until Narcissa came and flopped down next to her.

"Hello, Drommie." She said happily, and the elder wondered if Bella had let her near the butterbeer.

"Hey, Cissa. You having fun?" Dromeda asked, fiddling with the chipped nail polish on her nails.

"Yeah. Why aren't you celebrating? You're the keeper; they'd never have won without you." Cissa said, smiling and chewing on a biscuit, holding out another for her sister.

Dromeda took it with a smile. "I don't know. What's the time, Cissy?"

Narcissa glanced at the clock on the wall. "Quarter to eleven. Why? Your not gonna try and send me to bed, are you? Bella said I could stay up for as long as I want."

"Cissy, if you listen to Bella all the time, you'll end up in Azkaban with her. Seriously, don't you think you should try and get some rest? You'll enjoy your birthday more tomorrow-"

"Drom, I'll be fine. I'm not some baby who needs protecting. I can do a levitating charm all by myself." She smiled happily at this last statement.

Andromeda ran her fingers through her sister's hair. "Fine, fine… I suppose it's Saturday tomorrow, anyway. Any ideas where Bella's got to?"

"She's over there." Cissa said, nodding towards her eldest sister, who was dancing with a few friends of hers, Lucius' arm around her waist. She caught her sisters' eyes and grinned, gesturing for them to come over to where she was. When they were there, she bent down and shouted over the din of music, "Like it, Cissy?"

Cissa nodded, pouring herself a drink and taking a gulp. "Do you do this after every Quidditch match?" She yelled back.

"Every one we win." Lucius smiled at the blonde. "So yes, basically every one."

Bella giggled, kissing his cheek, her eyes still on her youngest sister. "What do you think?" She asked her.

"I like it!" Cissa grinned widely. "And I love your skirt, Bella. Where'd you get it?"

"Can't remember." The raven-haired girl said, smoothing down the impossibly short denim skirt she was wearing. She smiled at Narcissa and smoothed her hair down where it was sticking up a bit. "That top suits you, by the way."

Cissa smiled back, putting her drink down on the table. Andromeda flicked Bella's arm, capturing her attention. She mouthed something at her, and Bella nodded once, her black gaze flickering over to the youngest Black for a second. Narcissa looked confused. "What are you guys talking about?" She asked slowly and carefully.

"Nothing you need to worry about, Cissy." Bella said, looking around the room.

"Drommie…?" Cissa said, turning to her other sister.

Dromeda shrugged. "You'll know soon enough, Cissa. Never mind."

Narcissa glared at her sisters for a minute, as if trying to read their minds, but Bella started a conversation with Lucius before her sister could pry any more. Dromeda eagerly joined them. Cissa frowned angrily at them. "Why won't you guys tell me what's going on?!"

Bella laughed, smiling at her baby sister. "Cissy, calm down. Why can't you trust us?"

Narcissa raised an eyebrow at her, folding her arms angrily across her chest. "Bella, the last time I trusted you, I ended up dangling by my _ankles _out of a third-floor window. What on earth would make me believe you again?"

Bella shrugged, as if this was a fair point, and turned to Lucius again. Andromeda, taking this as her queue to go, walked away to talk to one of her roommates. Cissa stamped her foot angrily. "Just TELL ME!!"

Bella raised an eyebrow at her. Narcissa screamed slightly, storming away to see if she could get the answers out of her other sister. Watching her go, Lucius said quietly to his girlfriend, "Did she just stamp her foot? I thought they only do that in stories…" She laughed, and slipped her free arm around his neck, pulling him towards her for a kiss.

--

"Dromed_aaaaaaaaaaa_!!" Cissa moaned, tugging on her sister's hand. "_Please_!! I promise I won't tell Bella you've told me. I'll act how I'm meant too." Andromeda just shook her head silently, smiling slightly at her sister's tone. "_Please_, Drommie! Is it… about tomorrow? It is, isn't it? It's about my birthday! What are you planning?"

"Cissy, it's not about your birthday. It doesn't really involve you."

"So… what's the harm in telling me?"

"Please, Cissy, just trust me. I can't tell you."

"WHY-"

"Because Bella will kill me. Now, go pester someone else." Andromeda flapped a hand in her sister's face as if shooing her away. Narcissa pouted, looking into her sister's eyes. "Please?" She whispered.

"Cissy, I've lived with you for eleven, nearly twelve years of my life. The puppy-dog eyes don't work on me, as cute as they are. Go… annoy Bella, or… someone, just not me. I'm talking to my friends."

"But Bella's busy." The blonde said, looking over at her sister, who was currently engaged in a corner with Malfoy.

Dromeda shook her head slightly when she saw her older sister. "What about Regulus? I'm sure he's not busy." She said, looking around the common room for her cousin.

Cissa sent one more glare at her sister, before turning on her heel with a small _humph _and walking away. She soon found Regulus; he was sitting in a corner on his own, piles of parchment and books littering the desk he was sitting at. Narcissa shoved some books over to make room for herself, and sat on the desk. "Hey Reggie."

He only glanced up for a second before his eyes returned to his work. "Hi, Cissy."

Cissa swung her legs for a minute as Regulus returned to the essay he was writing. She looked around the crowded common room, through the many partying Slytherins, for her sisters. Bella was easy enough to find; she was still in the same corner with Malfoy. Dromeda, however, had disappeared… there she was, talking to a girl Cissa recalled as Alecto Carrow, not a very attractive girl. Narcissa could see her sister was trying to think of excuses to get away from Carrow. The blonde sighed heavily.

"Cissy, could you pass me my Charms book? I think you're sitting on it…" Regulus asked, looking up at her.

She did, and watched as, with mumbled thanks, Regulus bent his head over his work again. "Why won't you come join in the celebration, Reggie? Is this the whole Gryffindor thing again?"

Regulus looked up, setting down his quill. "Parties aren't really my thing…" He murmured.

"Well, you can't study all the time. That'd be boring." Narcissa said evenly, picking up his quill and putting it out of his reach.

He rolled his eyes. "Actually, this is quite fun. I'm doing it for extra credit. The teacher didn't even ask for it to be done."

"So… why are you doing it?"

"Extra credit. The teacher gives you a higher mark at the end of the year."

"And that leads to…?"

"A higher mark."

Cissa gaped at him. "You're doing _extra work_… for nothing but a higher mark?" Regulus nodded at her, smiling proudly. She looked at him disbelievingly. "I swear we are not related." She said, jumping off the desk and walking away. She looked around again. Bella had finally detached herself from her boyfriend's lips and was talking to him normally. Narcissa skipped over to them. "Bella, I'm bored." She said. "Can I stay with you?"

"No." Bella snapped. Cissa suck her lower lip out as far as it would go, pulling the puppy-dog eyes to the limit. Bella glared at her. "Go away, Cissy. Bella's busy. Go bother Drommie."

"But _she _told _me _to bother _you_." Narcissa whined, grabbing her sister's hand as she pulled the puppy-dog eyes again. Lucius made an _'aww'_ing sound. Bella looked at him. He shrugged.

"She's good at the puppy-dog eyes…" He said to her. Narcissa grinned at him, glad that she'd got through to someone. Bella glared at him, shaking off Cissa's hand and taking Lucius' instead.

"Cissy, _please_ just go annoy someone else. Dromeda? Regulus? Someone in your year, a friend or something? Just _leave me alone_!"

"BELLA!!" Cissa whined, wrapping her arms around her sister. "I want to talk to _you_!"

Bellatrix desperately tried to unwind her sister's tightening arms from around her waist. "Cissy… can't… breathe…" She gasped. Lucius looked on amused.

Narcissa loosened her arms, looking up at her sister again. "Bell_aaaa…_" She pouted again, pulling the puppy-dog eyes more than ever as she looked up at the fifteen-year-old.

"See, Bella, how can you not resist those…" Lucius started, but Bella shook of her sister and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the common room. Lucius grimaced at Narcissa behind Bella's back. The younger giggled, receiving a glare from her older sister.

Cissa stuck her tongue out at Bella, muttering "_Stroppy cow…_" under her breath. Bella didn't notice; she only slammed the door behind her and Malfoy, but not before Lucius could be heard saying, "I really like your sister, Bella."

Narcissa smirked, spinning on her heel to find someone else to talk to, seeing as Bellatrix was in one of her many bad moods again. She walked over to Alisa Bulstrode, one of her best friends, and started talking to her animatedly.

--

When Narcissa woke up, she shifted into a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Opening them groggily, she realised that at the end of her bed was a huge pile of presents. Of course, it was her birthday! Bolt upright now, Cissa leapt into the pile and tore open the paper.

Alisa sat up in her bed, next to Cissa's. "Cissa? What's going on? Oh… yeah… happy birthday!" Alisa grinned at her.

Cissa smiled back as she tore open the wrapping paper. _'Wow…' _She whispered, holding up a beautiful necklace and matching earrings. She caught the rotating label in one hand, and recognised Andromeda's messy scrawl. _Happy birthday, Cissy! Have a good one! Love you loads, Drommie xxxx _Cissa grinned at her sister's card, and looked at the jewellery again. It was mother-of-pearl, pinkish in some lights, but white in the other. She slipped the necklace over her neck, and put in the earrings, still in her pyjamas.

She dived into the pile again, her hands finding something solid. She pulled at it, and when it was out of the pile, she could see that it was a huge lumpy parcel, as tall as her. Narcissa spotted a card- _Hey, Cissa. Happy birthday, you're twelve at last! Hope you like the present; we can start training soon. Love you always, Bella xxxx_ Cissa looked up at the huge object wrapped in paper again, and started tearing at it. When all the holographic paper was off, the blonde's eyes widened at what the present was. A shining broomstick fell onto the bed, the shining gold letters on the handle reading _'Comet 290'_

Alisa's eyes widened. "_Woah_, Cissa! Who gave you that? And that necklace really suits you."

Narcissa grinned widely at her best friend. "Thanks. Oh, that's from my sister. Bella, you know… black frizzy hair, black eyes."

Alisa nodded, eyeing the broomstick. She was quite a spoilt girl; she was used to getting whatever she wanted, and was probably giving in to temptation already. Cissa cleared her throat, leaning over to attack the pile again. In ten minutes, the floor around her bed was littered with wrapping paper. She'd got loads of presents from everyone: her sisters, Regulus, even Sirius. There was also a note from her parents. ('_Your present's at home, Narcissa. You can see it when you come back for the Christmas holidays. Enjoy your birthday!'_)

She came down to the Common Room with a huge smile on her face, new earrings and necklace on. Bellatrix and Andromeda were already there. Cissa immediately started talking. "See, Drom, I'm wearing it! Do they suit me? I really like them! And _oh, my God_, Bells, you got me a Comet 290! I love you!" And threw herself at both her sisters at once.

"Hey, birthday girl!" Bella said, grinning at Cissa and pulling something out of her bag. She placed it one Narcissa's blonde head with precision. "There. Matches your new necklace."

Gently feeling what was on her head, Cissa grinned back. Under her fingers, she could feel a tiara. She smiled so widely that she felt that her face was going to split in half. "I feel like a princess!" She giggled.

Dromeda shifted the tiara slightly. Bella glared at her. "You are a princess, darling, for today, at least." Her middle sister said.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Stop putting ideas in her head, Drommie, or she'll be demanding royal liberties soon."

Andromeda rounded on her. "_I'm _putting ideas into her head? _I _am??"

"Yes. You are." Bella said simply.

Dromeda slowly went red, as if she was filling up with boiling water, like she always did when she was angry, but then she glanced at Cissa and composed herself, managing not to kick Bella's shin as hard as possible. "Come on, now." Andromeda said, smiling. "Lets get the Princess to her royal feast."

Narcissa ran round the sofa and out of the Common Room, not waiting for her sisters, who hurried after her. Well, Dromeda hurried, Bella walked as slowly as possible until Andromeda grabbed her wrist and dragged her along.

When they arrived in the Great Hall, Cissa grinned wider than ever and sat down at the Slytherin table. Regulus, sitting next to her, hugged her awkwardly from the side and said, "Happy birthday, Cissa. Did you like your present?"

She grinned at him, edging her tiara slightly forward on her head. "Oh, yeah, thank you so much! I loved it!"

She ate breakfast in the best of moods, chatting excitedly to her sisters. When they were both in good moods, even Bellatrix, Cissa brought up the dreaded question. "So, what's the thingy you won't tell me about?"

Bella and Dromeda exchanged looks. "Cissy," Bella said, putting down her apple. "You'll know soon enough. It'll be better if it's a surprise, honestly."

Narcissa narrowed her eyes at Bella, who glared back, until Dromeda threw a bubblegum wrapper at her head. "Don't give it away, Bella. And it's her birthday, stop scaring her."

Bella glared at Andromeda, pulling the wrapper out from her curls and sticking it on Dromeda's forehead. "Anyways, Cissa," Bella said, turning to her sister with the smiles Dromeda hadn't received. "What do you want to do for your birthday? We've got the whole Saturday…"

Cissa shrugged. "I dunno. We could just… talk? _Without _killing each other?"

"But where would the fun in that be?" Bella laughed, watching Dromeda try o remove the sticky wrapper from her forehead.

--

The rest of the day was spent in the Common Room, talking and laughing for the three Black sisters. Dromeda, with a rather sticky forehead, Bella, in a good mood for once, and Cissa, who could not be happier, sat on the sofas until six in the afternoon, where Dromeda asked Cissa if she'd come with her to the library to return a book.

They came back to find the Common Room in a completely different state than they'd left it; disco lights whizzed over the walls, and not a single flat surface could be found that hadn't been covered in plates of food or confetti, or both. Dromeda laughed out loud at the lengths her sister had gone to.

Narcissa gaped at the newly decorated Common Room, until Bella's voice came from behind, making her jump. "Told you it'd be better as a surprise. Happy birthday."

Narcissa whipped around and jumped at her sister, throwing her arms around her neck in a bone-crunching hug. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!! You're the best!"

"I was in it too!" Dromeda said, mock dejectedly. Cissa let go of Bella and hugged Dromeda instead. Bella laughed.

"C'mon, Cissy, you've got a party to enjoy. Lets not waste time hugging Little Miss Sticky-Forehead."

"And _who's _fault is it that my forehead is covered in bubblegum, Bella?" Dromeda asked, but Cissa grabbed both their hands and dragged them into the party.

**Well, did you like it? I hope you did. ****Suggestions ****are welcome, more than welcome, in fact. Please review. I have… erm… virtual chocolate. Yes I do. Yumm.**

**Ellie xxxx**


	12. Fight

**Hey!**

**So, here's the new chapter. I really hope you enjoy it. I wrote this over a period of about two days, so if it seems to be different writing styles, that's why. I **_**think**_** I'm happy with this chapter… I really enjoyed writing it, but it was hard to get it the length I want.**

**Oh yes, did I mention I'm JK Rowling? And that pigs fly? :D**

**Erm… yeah, some of you asked about Rodolphus in this. Basically, I think he's four years older than Bella, like Cissy to Lucius, and already graduated. I don't think they got to know each other very well, as there isn't much Lestrange-Love mentioned in the books ((although I adore Bella/Roddy)). It was probably an arranged marriage…**

**Cissy and Lucius know each other much better because in this, Cissy's Bella's little tag-along, and Lucius is always with Bella, so I think when they're older, they're each other's first choice for a proper marriage, and they are in love. ((Are you happy, Miriamimus, I said it! –laughs-))**

**Chapter 12**

The next day, Bellatrix sat at the Slytherin table, eating a blueberry muffin, a smirk on her lips as Sirius and his friends walked in, looking anywhere but the Slytherins. They were still sore about the match. Bella stared straight at Sirius and he, reluctantly, met her gaze. She wagged her fingers at him. He made an obscene hand gesture back at her, which did not go unnoticed by McGonagall. She strode over to him, and yelled at him for ten minutes straight.

Bella laughed so hard she almost cried. Lucius and the others came up and sat next to her, after shoving a few first-years out of the way. "They still sore about the match?" Lucius smirked, grabbing a slice of bread and some bacon from the platter in front of him.

Bella nodded, gulping down some pumpkin juice and shaking with laughter. Lucius grinned too, slipping his arm round her waist and pulling her closer.

--

"Oi, Siri!" Bella called across the courtyard. It was midday, and the courtyard was almost empty; everyone else was at lunch.

Sirius turned around, his eyes angry. "What?" He snapped.

Bella stood up from Lucius' lap and sauntered over to him, her friends close behind. "Aww, why the anger? I just came over here for a nice little… cousinly chat…"

Sirius glared at her. She smirked. She was too good at annoying him… "Piss off, Bellabitch." He said, turning his back to her.

She flicked his arm. "Oi. I wasn't finished." When he turned back to her, she continued, staring up at his face, still smirking. "Y'know, Siri, I was wondering… we need to practise Quidditch, and we were wondering, would you help us practise? I mean, we would use first-years, but we decided to go for something easier. But if you don't want to get your arse kicked agai-"

Bella never finished her sentence. He cousin's fist came slamming into her nose hard, and she fell back, sprawling on the cobblestones. She could feel hot blood running down her face, and she wiped it away angrily. "Wh… You'll pay for that!" She screamed, standing up and clutching her broken nose.

"Atleast the blood's _pure_, Bella," Sirius said, an arrogant smile on his lips.

Bella flew at him, and he grabbed her, pushing her back into the wall. Lucius aimed a jinx at Potter, but he blocked it and retaliated. Lupin sent a stunning spell a Rabastan, who ducked it and replied with one of his own.

Bella kicked Sirius between the legs, and he doubled over in pain. She ran past him, whacking him over the head as she did so. The Gryffindors were outnumbered: her, Lucius, Crabbe, Rabastan, Goyle, Antonin and Evan against Potter, Sirius, Lupin and Pettigrew, although the latter wasn't fighting, but trying to hide. Potter grabbed his collar and threw him at Evan, who immediately shoved him off and sent a Conjunctivitis Curse at him. Pettigrew squeaked and hid behind a pillar.

Pulling out her wand, she pointed it at Lupin's back as he battled with Rabastan. She opened her mouth to shout a spell, but a Disarmer knocked her wand out of her hands. Swivelling angrily on her heel, Bella saw Frank Longbottom, Lily Evans and Marlene McKinnon hurrying towards them, wands drawn.

"Bella!" Someone shouted from behind. Turning, Bella saw Evan holding her wand. He threw it to her, and she caught it, just as Evans shouted-

"Oi, Black!"

Bellatrix turned again, facing the redheaded Gryffindor. Out of the corner of her eye, she noted that Sirius was on his feet again, and had gone to attack Evan. "Yes, Mudblood?" She sneered at her opponent.

"Shut it, Black!" Evans yelled, shooting a non-verbal hex at her. Bella dodged it, thinking. She hadn't learnt non-verbal spell yet; true, she knew a bit about them from sitting in on her cousin's Defence Against the Dark Arts, but she didn't dare try them.

"A- Sectumsempra!" Bella shouted, waving her wand in a zigzag pattern. Evans ducked. Bellatrix swore loudly.

"You'll have to do better than that, Black!" Evans called, taunting. "Maybe Sirius was right; you are an over-confident little bitch." She grinned, sending another silent curse at Bella. The younger didn't move out of the way in time, and the green jet of light hit her in the stomach. She stumbled back, winded, and doubled over. Lifting her head, she saw McKinnon slap Evans a high-five. Anger coursed through her, and she stood up, breathing heavily.

"You alright, Bella?" She heard Lucius shout from behind her. Waving a hand at him to let him know she was, she grabbed her wand from where it had slipped through her fingers.

Pointing it at McKinnon's back, she yelled, "_IMPEDIMENTA!!_" McKinnon went flying through the air, and landed with a dull _thud _twenty feet away. Bella grinned as Evans rounded on her.

"That was low, Black…" Evans spat, pointing her wand at the younger girl.

Bellatrix mirrored, shrugging as she answered, "Slytherin!"

The Mudblood's eyes narrowed, and she waved her wand in a complicated fashion and sending a jet of white at the Slytherin.

Bella ducked, and it hit a passing first-year, who erupted into vicious boils. The black-haired girl laughed at her opponent's choice of spell. "Harsh, Evans, harsh…" She sneered, levitating a bench idly before swinging her wand around, sending the bench hurtling in Evans's direction.

The Gryffindor's green eyes widened as the stone bench flew towards her, but before it could make contact, a jet of green light hit it, and it shattered.

Everybody stopped what they were doing to look at the newcomer. A pale, pallid boy stood in the shallows, shrinking under everyone's gaze. Simultaneously, Potter and Sirius shouted, "Snivellus!!"

Snape came into the light and sneered at the two boys. He then turned to Evans, an entirely new look in his eyes. "Lily, are you alright…?"

"Piss off, Snape." Evans said, turning her back on him.

"Lily, I told you I never meant it-"

"She _said_, piss off, Snivellus!" Potter yelled, aiming a hex at Snape. It found it's target and Snape was blasted backwards, crashing into the same pillar McKinnon was sprawled by. He slid down, but managed to stay conscious. Stepping over McKinnon, he pulled out his own wand and hexed Potter with a non-verbal spell. Potter, now dangling upside down by his ankle, aimed a spell back at Snape, but missed and hit Goyle instead.

Goyle spun round, his tiny eyes filled with confusion and anger. He swung a punch at the nearest Gryffindor: Longbottom. Goyle's thick fist collided with Longbottom's face with ferocious force, breaking his nose, and the battle started again.

"Oi, Trixibell!" Came a voice from behind.

Bellatrix spun on her heel, holding out her wand again. "Sirius…" She hissed.

"Iddle widdle Bella, ready to fight the mean nasty Gryffindor?" Sirius taunted.

Bella couldn't take it; dropping her wand, she ran at him and tackled him to the ground. He struggled, but she seemed too intent on punching every last bit of his arrogant face, that unfortunately looked almost identical to hers, to feel any of his blows.

She could hear people screaming at her and Sirius, but she ignored them. Letting her guard down for just a second to check over her shoulder at who was calling her name, she found Sirius shove her over and get the upper hand. She tried to kick him off, but he was a year older and much stronger, so her efforts were in vain.

A crashing blow came to her ribs, winding her, but before she regained her breath, Sirius hand had grabbed her tangled curls and shoved her head into a muddy puddle. Dirty water filled her mouth as she tried to scream, choking her. Her flailing legs and arms flew about until… _there_. Her clenched fist smashed into her cousin's temple, knocking him backwards.

She jumped up, kicking Sirius hard in the ribs. He moaned, clutching his chest and making a swipe for her ankle as she ran past him, but she dodged him, reading on his fingers instead.

Laughing at Potter, who was still upside-down and hexing any Slytherin who came near him while his face was slowly going magenta, Bella found herself standing next to Lucius. He grinned at her, and kissed her bloody cheek gently, opening his mouth to whisper something in her ear. But before the words could come out, Crabbe's huge fist smacked him in the mouth, even though he'd been aiming for Pettigrew.

Lucius clutched his mouth in agony, blood seeping through his fingers. "Cwabbe!!" He yelled, his fingers muffling his anger. Bella took it as a time to go, so she turned, running straight into Sirius.

"Bella," He said pleasantly, before grabbing her arm and hauling her into a wall. Still clutching her arm, he pushed her so her back was turned to him. Fingers closing tighter about his younger cousin's wrist, he started to twist it into an unnatural position, ignoring her shouts of pain. She tried to wrench her arm from his grip, but every time she did, the pain only increased.

"Sirius!" She yelled, angry tears slipping down her face and mingling with the drying blood around her broken nose. "Sirius, stop!"

"No, Bella…" He laughed into her ear, giving her arm another ferocious twist behind her back.

It was going to break…

It was going to crack…

Sure enough, a resounding _crack_ echoed through the courtyard, causing everyone to stop. Pain shot through Bellatrix, and she screamed loudly. Sirius, obviously not meaning to hurt her this much, stepped back and looked around wildly, pulling his dark hair through his fingers.

Everybody stared at the curly-haired girl in horror as she turned, slumping against the wall and bending over her broken arm. Sirius bit his lip.

"Bella, I-" He stared, but the words wouldn't come out.

Bella's agonised scream had attracted the attention of someone, however…

"_What_ do you think you are _doing_?" Screeched McGonagall, storming over to the brawl from where she had been standing in the corner yelling at some first-years for turning the school song into a rude tune.

Nobody answered her.

McGonagall's eyes swept over he scene; Bellatrix's arm at a wrong angle, blood covering both her and Frank Longbottoms' broken noses, McKinnon's unconscious body lying on the cobblestones, Potter still dangling by his ankle, Evans and Lupin looking ashamed at not having stopped the fight, Sirius and Snape glaring daggers at each other, Lucius sporting a bloody lip and Evan and Rabastan with black eyes.

"_All_ of you, _inside_! NOW!!" McGonagall snapped, her lips thin. She waved her wand, and a stretcher appeared, McKinnon on it, and Potter fell from his ankle onto the stones with a loud "_Ow!_"

They trooped inside. McGonagall swept past them and led them through the castle. As they walked through the now-packed corridors, gazes and whispering followed them. Once, they bumped into Andromeda, who looked at her sister and cousin with an expression of outrage and confusion.

"_What happened?_" She hissed. Bella pointed at Sirius. Sirius pointed at Bella. Dromeda smacked herself over the head.

--

Once they were sitting in the Transfiguration classroom, McGonagall, after waving her wand causing the stretcher holding McKinnon to disappear, presumably to the hospital wing, walked slowly around the desk. She looked angrier than anyone had ever seen her before. She shut her eyes, as if preparing herself, (which she probably was) before opening them and sending round the kind of look that burns. Everyone averted his or her gazes. Bella took a great interest in Lucius' undone shoelace to avoid McGonagall's piercing gaze.

McGonagall slowly started walking around the room, her tartan robes swishing behind her and her boots making a clipping noise on the stone floor. She finally stopped in front of one boy.

"Explain, Mr Pettigrew." She hissed, cornering him, after she had

The chubby boy looked terrified. McGonagall raised a thin eyebrow. "W-well, Professor… w-we were just… standing there… and then Black hexes Sirius for absolutely no reason and-"

Various cries of outrage erupted from the Slytherins in the room. Lucius even stood up.

McGonagall turned to Lucius, and glared at him, pointing to his seat. He dropped his gaze and sat down. "Well, Mr… Rosier," McGonagall said, rounding on Evan, "What is _your_ rendition of the incident?"

Potter stood up. "Professor! You can't ask Rosier! He's her cousin!" He finished, pointing at Bellatrix.

"Well, Sirius, _unfortunately_, is my cousin too, and you don't see _him_ sticking up for me, do you?" Bella retaliated, swivelling round in her front-row seat to glare at him.

Sirius smirked. "Oh, Trixie, Trixie, Trixie, when will you realise that you are _lucky_ to have someone like me in your family?"

"DON'T CALL ME-"

McGonagall smacked the desk, glaring at everyone; they all silenced. "Mr Rosier?"

Evan took a deep breath. "Well, we, erm, were on our way to the… owlry, yeah, and we were walking past _them lot_ and Black socks Bella one. Completely uncalled for, if you ask me-"

It was the Gryffindors' turn to be outraged now. Even McGonagall, who was finding Evan's story hard to believe, had a hard time quieting them down. Eventually, she resorted to sending a loud bang in the air with her wand to quiet the outbreak.

"QUIET!!" She snapped. Everybody obeyed. "_Right_," she continued, "I don't know _what_ happened, and I don't _want _to know, but everyone has a fortnight of detentions, starting tonight! Yes, Mr Dolohov, I mean everyone. Eight o'clock. Now, if you would please go to your dormitories, I'm sure you have some homework to do. Oh, wait… go to the hospital wing first." McGonagall finished with a sigh.

The teenagers scurried out of the room, towards the Hospital Wing.

"Did you _have_ to break both my nose _and_ my arm, Sirius?" Bella snapped, cradling the wonky arm in the other.

"Shut up, Bella." He said, glaring down at her. She glared right back, the glare emphasised menacingly as her face was covered in blood.

--

They entered the hospital wing with a frosty silence between the two houses. Madam Fay, coming out from her office when she heard the door open, gasped and dropped the bottle of some healing potion she was holding. Hurrying over to them, she started fussing immediately. "Ah, yes, I've just received McKinnon… Mr Longbottom, you're covered in blood! And you too, Miss Black… and what happened to your arm? Oh my… come here, Malfoy, we'll get you something for that lip… Lestrange, Rosier, I've got some paste for your eye, here…"

The teenagers stood perfectly still whilst the Matron fussed over them. "Had another brawl, you two?" Madam Fay muttered to Bellatrix and Sirius, but before either of them could answer, she was off again. "I see you two in here more often than I see any other student at Hogwarts… Could you please lay off the attacking? I don't see your brother or sisters half as much as you two…"

Sirius and Bella exchanged glances. Every time they came into the Hospital Wing they got this. Sure, they came in almost once every week, but still…

Madam Fay, tweaking Bella's fully recovered nose, waved her wand and the doors opened. The many impatient children lounging against the door stood up and half-ran out of the door, glad to be away from the overprotective Matron.

As they were walking out, Sirius said, without looking at his cousin, "Until next time, Trixibells?"

"Of course, Sirikins." Bella said, a look on her face that could have been either a smile, or a glare, or both. Running up to the other Slytherins, Bella entwined her fingers with Lucius and started towards the Common Rooms.

Sirius turned the corner towards the Gryffindor Common Room, but stopped, turning back. "Oh, Bella…" He shouted after her retreating form. She stopped and turned, a dark eyebrow raised questioningly at him. "Bells… Did Fay just tweak your nose?"

Bella nodded, glaring. Sirius laughed, shaking his head and walking backwards with the other Gryffindors.

"Ickle, ickle Trixibells…"

Bella sent him a glare that would have scared Godric Gryffindor himself, and he just grinned at her, though as he walked backwards, he tripped over a stray exercise book and landed hard on his back.

Laughing raucously, Bella slipped her arm around her boyfriend's waist and headed back to the Common Room. That was typically Sirius…

**I may have mentioned this before… but oh well. :D I had a number of set ideas when I started this, and I've nearly done all of them. I've still got about five or six to go, but if you want to make a suggestion, just review.**

**Oh, and mucho thanks to ILoveRodolphusLestrange, for being my firs ever anonymous reviewer! Little things like that make me happy. ((I can't believe I just quoted Stardust!! :O))**

**Oh yeah, REVIEW PLEASE!!**

**Ellie xxxx**


	13. Conversations

**Hey!**

**So, here's the thirteenth chappie of Bella. I'm not so sure about this one… it's more of a filler chapter really… but tell me what you think :D**

**The disclaimer is in the URL. ****Fan****. Durh.**

**So, err… enjoy!**

**Chapter 13**

It was only October, but the Professors had their fifth-year pupils studying harder than ever for their upcoming OWLs. It was well past midnight, but five fifth-years still sat around the table, parchment, quills and books lying in front of them. Rabastan Lestrange sat with his feet up on the table, testing his friend.

"The sixth goblin rebellion started in…?"

"1463." Evan sighed, resting his head against the brick wall.

"And ended in…?"

"Urgh, God, Bastan. How am I meant to know this? When's this due in for?"

"Tomorrow." Rabastan checked his watch. "Err… today, then…"

Evan fell off his chair.

Lucius laughed from where he sat lounging on the sofa, Bellatrix sprawled across his lap. "Does anyone know what the fifth property of moonstone?" She asked, shifting so her head was in her boyfriend's lap. Lucius played with a lock of her jet-black curls absent-mindedly as he checked his own essay.

Antonin shoved his own essay at her before Lucius could answer, however. With a mumbled 'thanks', Bella picked it up and scanned through it, before turning and scribbling a final sentence on her own parchment, throwing it back to Dolohov.

"Have you guys seen the dates for the first Hogsmeade weekend?" Asked Evan as he leant his chair back on two legs to read the notice board.

"There's a Hogsmeade weekend?" Bella said, lifting her head from Lucius' lap in interest. "When?"

"Halloween." Evan answered. The boys grinned at each other and slapped hi-fives, and soon the homework lay forgotten and the Common Room was full of chatter about what they were going to do.

Bellatrix put her head back down on her boyfriend's lap, and shifted so she was looking up at him, a small, expectant smile on her beautiful face. Lucius raised an eyebrow at her. "Yes, my darling?"

The black-haired girl pouted. "Well, Lucius? Aren't you going to ask me out to Hogsmeade?" She asked, mock-dejectedly, as she reached up and ran her fingers through his long free-flowing blond hair.

He smiled down at her, and turned his head to kiss her palm. "Bella, Bella, Bella, your impatience will be the death of you…" He murmured into her pale skin.

She took her hand away and propped herself up on her elbows, so their faces were centimetres apart, pouting again. She knew full well he had a good view down her shirt, and she flaunted it. He pressed his lips to hers, so gently they may not have touched, and grinned into them. "Bella, will you give me the honour of escorting you to Hogsmeade?" He murmured.

She giggled, and wound her arms around his neck. "Of course." She whispered back, before pulling him down for a kiss. Lucius wound his arms around her waist and shifted so he was kneeling over her and supporting her at the same time, and kissed back fiercely.

"Oh, get a room, you two." Said Antonin loudly, throwing an inkpot at them. It landed on Bella's stomach, and Lucius brushed it off gently. It fell to the floor with a clatter.

Lucius pulled himself away from Bellatrix and met his friend's gaze. "Shut up, Tony!" He said jokily, and laughed. He loosened his arms from Bella's waist and she slumped back against the cushions, grinning up at him. Lucius grinned back and sat down, shifting her long legs so they were over his lap.

"So, we're all going out to Hogsmeade on Halloween?" Rabastan spoke up.

"Yuhuh." Evan grinned at him. "I need to visit Zonko's. Run out of itching powder… And Lucy can take Bella out for a nice romantic snogfest at Madam Puddifoot's, or somewhere."

"_Lucy_?" Lucius glared at his friend at the same time Bella said, "_Madam Puddifoot's_?"

Rabastan laughed loudly. "Don't worry, Luce, I don't think Madam Puddifoot's is Bella's idea of a romantic getaway either."

Bella stuck her tongue out. "No, Bas, I'm sure _Lucy_ will take me somewhere else. Right?" She looked up at her boyfriend again.

"Not if you call me 'Lucy' I won't." He said, leaning closer to her. She smirked, and interlaced her fingers with his, giggling. Suddenly, she groaned loudly, covering her eyes with her spare hand.

"What is it?" The others asked her.

"I've just remembered – it's Dromeda's first Hogsmeade weekend. She'll probably want me to go with her…" Bellatrix groaned again. Then she sat up, and looked at Evan. "Ev…" She said innocently.

"No, Bella, I am not going to baby-sit Andromeda for you so you and Lucius can get it on. She's your sister." Rosier replied, knowing what she was going to ask.

"And _your_ cousin!"

"But still your sister."

Bellatrix narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "Fine! Leave me in my hour of need! But anyway, Lucy darling, Drom can just watch us, can't she?"

Lucius grinned, and pulled her closer and into an upright position, so she was basically sitting on his lap. "But we might scar the poor girl…" He said, meeting her gaze, his eyes twinkling.

"Eh. She'll live…" Bella countered, winding her arms around his neck again.

Rabastan intervened. "Yes, I suppose she will. And you know what would help me live? If I got some sleep!"

Antonin agreed with him. Evan nodded as if this were a fair point. Lucius make a small grunt to show he thought so too. Bella sighed and muttered, "I suppose so," her lips brushing Lucius' as she did. The five teenagers stood up.

Rabastan, Evan and Antonin made their way over to the stairs to the boys' staircase as Lucius and Bellatrix kissed goodnight.

"See you in the morning, Bella." He whispered as she went over to the other stairs.

"See you Lucy." She grinned as she ran up the girl's staircase.

--

The next day, after lunch, Bellatrix left for a detention she had with Professor Binns, leaving her friends in the courtyard. Lucius took this time to go to the library. He strode in there to find it was surprisingly packed, though seeing as the weather was horrible, he supposed he should have thought better. The only empty seat was on the table furthest from the door, where a little girl with straight blonde hair sat studying.

"Is anyone sitting here?" He asked, smiling. The girl looked up, and instantly recognised who she was: Bella's sister Narcissa.

She recognised him too, and smiled back, shifting a few of her books further towards herself to make room for him. "Err, no, I don't think so… Lucius, right?"

"Yeah." He sat down next to her, and pulled out his _Standard Book of Spells: Grade 5_. "Cissa, is it?"

"Uh huh." She smiled again, and put down her quill, scanning what she'd written.

He looked over her shoulder. "What are you doing? _The Correct Situations in which to Use 'Petrificus Totalus'…_" He read aloud. "Sounds, err…"

"Boring? Yeah, it is. Two whole rolls of parchment! And it's due in for today, last lesson. I should have got Bella to help me, but she was off in her detention after the fight, and all that…"

Lucius laughed. "You heard about the fight, too then?"

"Who didn't? You were in it too, weren't you?" She said, leaning back in her chair and looking up at him.

"Well… yeah, but I didn't start it." He said sheepishly. She laughed a little. "It was-"

"Bella and Sirius, I heard." She laughed again. "Well, I guessed, really. They're always the ones who start the fights. Believe me."

He grinned. "I can imagine… but you said you need help with that?"

Narcissa looked back at her parchment, which was covered in her neatly slanted writing, and sighed. "Yeah. I've still got one and a quarter rolls of parchment to go… why?" She looked back up at him as she asked the last bit.

Lucius shrugged, a small smile on his lips. "Well, I just thought I could help you with it, if you need it."

She grinned wider than ever. "Thanks. So, what is the third situation to use _'Petrificus Totalus'_?"

They spent the next half-hour discussing anything and everything; it started off on homework, but soon digressed to Bellatrix, Sirius, Madam Pince, Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, Chocolate Frogs, Professor McGonagall, Professor Binns, and anything either of them could think of.

They were interrupted by a whiney, unpleasant voice. "Mr Malfoy, I did not expect to see you here."

Lucius whirled around in his seat. "M-Madam Pince… I just came in here to study, that's all."

Pince leant forward, the lines on her bony face etched with dislike. "I'm watching you, Mr Malfoy, and you too, Miss Black, if you're anything like your sister." And with that, she walked away, glaring at them over her shoulder.

Lucius grimaced at Narcissa, and she burst into a fresh stream of giggles. "What was that all about?" She said through her laughter.

Lucius chuckled, shaking his head at the memories. "Well, you know what you said about Bella and your cousin always starting fights? Well, ages ago, when we were in our second year – well, Black was in his third – we had a huge fight in here. It started off with a comment about Bella's hair, or something stupid like that. A-and… we may have managed to set three bookcases on fire."

Cissa gasped. "Three bookcases? Oh, my God…"

He nodded. "She hasn't trusted any of us since… look." He pointed over to where Sirius and his three friends were getting a heated lecture from the librarian about how food and the library do not mix. Sirius stuffed his cookie into his bag in what he hoped was a surreptitious fashion.

"What's this?" Came Bella's voice from behind them. Winding her arms around Lucius' neck and resting her chin on his head, she looked at her baby sister with raised eyebrows.

"I was helping her with her homework, Bella." Lucius said, interlinking his fingers with hers.

Narcissa rolled up her essay and stuffed it in her bag. "I would have asked you, but… you were off in detention."

Bellatrix made a face at the word 'detention'. "How did it go?" Lucius asked her.

"Eh." Bella said, moving around him to sit on his lap. "You know what Binns is like. He didn't even notice that I left early. Has he even noticed he's dead yet?"

"You left early? Bella, you shouldn't have done that…" Narcissa reprimanded her older sister.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Please, Cissy, I've already got Andromeda pretending to be my mother. Must you start too?"

"We're not acting like Mother, you're just acting like a child."

"Says the eleven-year-old!"

"I'm twelve, now, _actually_. I would have thought you knew that, being my _sister_ and all."

"Shut up."

Lucius laughed. "To be honest, you're _both_ acting like children. Not that that's a bad thing…" He said, looking at his girlfriend and fiddling with the hem of her too-short-to-be-allowed skirt. "You're cute when you're immature." He kissed her cheek.

"Well she's 'cute' all the time, then. I have yet to see her act her age, and I've known her all my life!" Narcissa stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder, smiling. "Thanks for the help, Lucius."

"Anytime, Cissa." He smiled back. Bella suck her tongue out at her sister, who said, "Immature!" under her breath, just loud enough for them to hear as she walked away.

"Annoying little bimbo…" Bella glared at Cissa's retreating back.

Lucius laughed again, stroking her leg. "Don't worry, Bella. I like you better when you're immature. It brings out the fun in life."

She laughed with him, winding her hands in his hair. "Well I'm glad." She said, smiling, before leaning down for a kiss.

"WHAT DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING? _KISSING _IN THE LIBRARY? OUT! _OUT!!_" Madam Pince's screech echoed through the library, causing everyone to look up and in the direction of the love struck teenagers. "OUT!!"

Bellatrix quickly jumped off her boyfriend, who stood up immediately behind her. They started running out, but at he librarian's cry of "RUNNING IN THE LIBRARY? HOW DARE YOU!" they slowed to a fast walk.

When they passed the Marauders, the Gryffindors made kissing and sucking noises at them.

"Real _mature, _Siri, real mature…" Bella hissed at him as Lucius grabbed her hand and all but dragged her from the library.

--

"Bella!" Andromeda hurried up to her elder sister. "There you are! I was looking everywhere for you! Where the hell were you at lunch?"  
Bellatrix rolled her eyes and continued walking, not even looking at her sister. "The library." She said in an uninterested monotone.

Dromeda stopped dead. "Wait, _you_ were in the library? Seriously?"

"Yes. Yes I was. Do you have a problem with that?"

The younger frowned at her sister's tone, and half-ran to keep up with her. "Something the matter, Bells?" She asked, but without waiting for an answer, carried on. "Listen, Bella, can I ask you something?"

"Don't you have somewhere to be, a lesson or something?"  
"Well, right now I've got Transfiguration, but Dumbledore asked me to give _this,_" she held up a sealed roll of parchment, "to Slughorn. What about you?"

"I've got Divination."

Andromeda was confused. "Isn't that back there?" She asked, jerking her thumb over her shoulder.

"Yes it is. Congratulations, you're a genius. Now go away."

"But… if your class is over the other side of school, then why are you going this way?"

"Because Divination is a waste of time. And I want to catch up on some sleep. Mind you, I could probably get to sleep better in the lesson…"

"Bella, you're skipping classes?"

"State the obvious, why don't you?"

Dromeda sighed. "Bella, you can't just skip class! Mother would go through the roof if she heard."

"It's lucky she's not going to hear then, isn't it?"

Andromeda glared at her sister. "Fine, fine, it's your funeral. But yeah, Bells, can I ask you something?"

"That depends-"

"Great. Have you heard about the Hogsmeade weekend?" Bella groaned. "Cool, you have. And, as it's my first one, would you mind going with me?"

"Yes, actually, I very well _would_ mind. You see, I have other plans. Lucius asked me out, and we don't want tagalongs. Sorry. Bye now. Have a nice day."

"But, Bella, you _know_ I get lost easily! And please, just this once? You and Malfoy put on a show for all us 'tagalongs' whenever you two are in close proximity to each other!"

"Drom. What does it take to get it into your thick skull that I am _not_ going to baby-sit you to Hogsmeade?"

"Please Bella, just this once. I promise I'll never talk to you or act like we're related in any way, shape or form _at all_ again if you _please_ just do this one tiny thing for me. Please? I mean, I _was_ going to ask Ted to go with me on, like, y'know, a date sorta thing, but he lost his form, so-"

"Ted? Who the Hell is Ted?"

Andromeda blushed scarlet. "Err, no one… a boy…"

Bellatrix stopped, and caught her sister's arm, causing her to stop too. A corner of Bella's mouth was turned up into a half-mocking, half-interested smile. "Elaborate, Drommie."

"Well, he's a boy… in my year… and I sorta… _like_ him. Like, _likelike_ like him. Like you and Malfoy."

Bella grinned. "Aww. Little Miss Frigid has a crush. But, wait a sec, I don't know anyone called Ted…"

Andromeda's eyes opened wide in fear, which luckily escaped her sister's notice; the raven-haired girl was too busy counting names off on her fingertips. "Black, Malfoy, Rosier, Dolohov, Lestrange, erm… Prewett, but they're all Gryffindors, Potter, but they're… _urgh_, erm… Weasleys… oh _God_, Drom, don't tell me he's a Weasley… Longbottom, if you like the chubby unpopular type… err… Fawcett, not the best, but better than some…" She sighed, and looked down at her younger sister, eyebrows raised. "Well, Dromeda, they're all the Pureblood families who currently have kids at Hogwarts… but none of them have kids called Ted…" She said accusingly. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and realisation grew across her face. "Andromeda Black, he _is_ a Pureblood, right?"

Andromeda opened her mouth, no words coming out, but was saved from her sister's wrath by McGonagall's angry voice. "Miss Black!"

They both looked up. "P-Professor…" Andromeda stuttered, feeling Bellatrix's burning glare return to the back of her head.

"Girls, the bell rang twenty minutes ago! Why aren't you in your lessons?"

"Err, w-well, you see, Professor…" Dromeda started. McGonagall looked at her, expectant. "Err, Professor Dumbledore asked me to give this to Professor Slughorn…" She held up the note again.

"Alright then, Miss Black… what about you?" She turned her gaze on the eldest Black sister.

Bella shrugged. "Eh. Can't be stuffed to go to class."

McGonagall looked outraged. "Miss Black, that is _not_ the attitude you should be having towards your schooling! Come with me!" And she turned and marched into her office.

Bella followed, Andromeda tagging along behind her. McGonagall sat down at her desk and, taking out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill, started scribbling furiously.

A scruffy Hufflepuff waved at Andromeda from the front row. She waved back, blushing again. Bella rounded on her. "Is _that _Ted?" She hissed.

Yet again, the Transfiguration professor saved Dromeda from answering. McGonagall handed Bellatrix a rolled up slip of parchment. "_Now_, Miss Black, you are to go to your lesson and give that to your teacher. I am sure they will give you a detention for your attitude, but just in case they don't I will see you on Saturday night in my office at 8 o'clock. Bring a quill."

Bella glared at the teacher, before turning on her heel and storming to the door. As she wrenched it open, McGonagall called her back. "Oh, and Miss Black, I seem to recall that the school uniform policy requires a _skirt_, not a belt."

Bellatrix tugged at her skirt, which _was_ only covering a few centimetres of her thighs, before turning and slamming the door behind her.

Andromeda felt her face flush again at her sister's behaviour, and, mumbling something about delivering the letter, she hurried out of the room.

Like I said, I'm not so sure about this chapter. The Lucius and Cissa conversation is something that's been bugging me for ages… I imagine she has a sort of childlike crush on him now…

**But I quite like the thingy with Dromeda. I think that turned out quite well.**

**R&R please… thanks!**

**Ellie xxxx**


	14. Hogsmeade

**Felicitations :D**

**Sorry about not updating for ages, I have three other fics going on, and I've had writers block for **_**all**_** of them. :( And besides, I went on Y8 camp last week, and there is no electricity in a tent. –sob-. (One of my friends didn't get that; she actually brought her hair straighteners!!) Yeah, camp was great fun, only now I'm covered in bruises.**

**I am not JK Rowling, but one day I intend to think of a witty comment to put here.**

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

McGonagall's stern, hawkish gaze followed them as they hurried out of the doors, narrowing in mutual dislike. They ignored her, and started down the road towards Hogsmeade, talking non-stop.

"Hey, guys?" Rabastan said over their chatter. "Erm, I need to meet my brother, Rodolphus, in the Three Broomsticks at midday. Would you mind coming with me? I wouldn't ask, but-"

"Sure we'll come, Bastan." Bella smiled at him. "What's the time now?"

"Eleven." Evan said, checking his watch. "We spent way too much time getting ready… or rather, Bella did."

"Oh, shut up, Ev. We all know you can't tear yourself away from the mirror, either!" She retorted, grinning at her cousin. He grinned back. Bellatrix turned back to her boyfriend, whose arm was securely around her waist and who was currently engaged in a conversation about dungbombs. "Lucy!" She said, leaning closer to him. "_Lucy_…"

He turned back to her. "Yes, my darling?" He said, a smile tugging at his lips.

"What time are we going to Madam Puddifoot's?" She said, smiling back childishly.

He laughed a little and kissed her nose. "Right after we buy you a pink frilly dress and matching hair band." He smiled, pulling her closer to him as she glared. "You managed to shake off your sister, then?"

"She's avoiding me now." Bella said with a slightly proud smile. When Lucius raised a questioning eyebrow at her, she continued, "She's been dishonouring the family. Stupid nit. But she's young. She'll learn not to."

"Righty-ho." Evan said in an odd voice as he amused himself by stripping a twig of its bark. Everyone looked at him. "What?" He asked, as if saying _righty-ho_ in a cliché English accent was a perfectly normal thing to do.

"Nothing, Evan…"Antonin said, meaning completely the opposite. The others laughed.

They made their way down the path like that – cracking jokes and laughing. When they passed the gates to Hogsmeade Village, Rabastan checked his watch. "Guys, it's quarter to twelve. D'you think we should go straight to the Three Broomsticks?"

"Yeah, I think so. You arranged to meet your brother at twelve, right?" Antonin said absent-mindedly as he peered through the window of Zonko's, where a huge poster on the window read, _everything 60 off!_

"Yeah-" Rabastan started, but was cut off by Evan.

"60 off? Wow! D'you think that counts for exploding snap, too?" He said excitedly.

His cousin replied before the others could. "It says _everything_ 60 off. Guess what, Ev, that means _everything_!" Bella stuck her tongue out.

"Oh, yeah, Trixibells?"

"MY NAME IS NOT-"

"Guys, we're _here_." Rabastan said pointedly as he pushed open the door to the pub, making the bell on the door tinkle welcomingly. The two cousins stopped their bickering to follow him inside, Bella's hand still firmly in Lucius'. Rabastan looked around for a few seconds, before waving at a man sitting at a table, and beckoning for the others to follow. "Over here, guys." He said as he sat down opposite the stranger.

Bellatrix followed first, calling in a loud voice after him, "You know, Bas, that I am not a _guy_. I am a girl."

"Good to hear it." Lucius said as he sat down on Rabastan's left, pulling her down next to him so she was half-on his lap. The others sat around them.

The other Lestrange brother lowered his hood slowly, smiling at their childish behaviour. He was very handsome, with sparkling greenish-hazel eyes and soft brown hair that fell to just below his chin.

"Guys… _girl_… this is my brother Rodolphus." He grinned and slapped his brother on his shoulder. "Rod, this is Tony, Evan, Lucy and Bella."

"My name is not Lucy! It's Lucius." The blond boy growled at his friend.

"Lucius? As in Lucius Malfoy?" Rodolphus looked interested.

Lucius grinned. "Yeah. And that's Antonin Dolohov, Evan Rosier and this is Bellatrix Black."

"Ah, I see…" Rodolphus was grinning widely now, happy that the teenagers were Purebloods, as he shook hands with each of them in turn. When his hand touched the girl's, however, he turned it over and pressed his lips to her knuckles. She blushed a slight pinkish colour and dropped her gaze to Lucius' knee. Her boyfriend's eyebrows creased into a slight frown. Rodolphus acted as if he didn't notice.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Rod. Anyway, have you heard more news from, err… him?" Rabastan turned back to his brother.

Rodolphus Lestrange paused, looking around at his brother's friends. "Bas, can they be trusted?"

"'Course they can. Dolohov, Rosier, Malfoy and Black! All their fathers are in it."

"In what?" Asked Evan suspiciously, leaning across the table to stare in a mock paranoid way at his friend.

Rabastan opened his mouth to reply, but his brother cut him off. "Have any of you ever heard of the Dark Lord?"

Everyone was silent. "Yeah, a little." Bella finally said, breaking the silence. All eyes were on her for an explanation. "Father's spoken to Mother about him quite a lot, and I… overheard…"

Before the older Lestrange could reply, he flinched slightly, and his right hand immediately went to the forearm of his other arm, and he grimaced. "Alright, I need to be off, but I'll notify him of your interest. He's looking for newer – younger- recruits, anyway." With that he stood up, ruffling his brothers hair and smiling around at them, before pulling up his hood again.

"Rod-" Rabastan started, but the older looked at him warningly from under his hood. "Send a letter, then." Bastan said sadly, looking down.

His brother didn't answer, just nodded once and walked out of the door. They heard the telltale _crack_ of Apparition before the bells on the door had finished twinkling.

There was silence for a moment, until Evan said, "Well, that was… unexpected."

"The Dark Lord…" Bellatrix breathed out, speaking for everyone else. "The _Dark Lord_… Oh, my God, we might be… he might… let us join… the _Dark Lord…_"

Everyone else nodded.

"My brother's been involved for ages, since he left Hogwarts…" Rabastan said proudly.

"Oh, shut up, Bastan! Just think about it – _we _could be fighting for the Dark Lord..." Lucius said, as if he couldn't believe it.

"I know." Antonin breathed, in an equal state of stupor.

"Guys, may-" Rabastan tried, noticing exactly how many people were in the pub with a possibility of overhearing them.

"_Ahem!!_" Came Bella's angry cough.

"Guys and _girl_, then… do you think this is really the best place to talk about, y'know, him?"

The others were silent again as they too looked around, realising that they weren't alone, and could be easily overheard. "Good point…" Evan said, standing up. The others mirrored him almost immediately.

Once they had left the pub, they made their way down to Zonko's. It's brightly flashing neon-purple windows lit up the murky day, making it stand out amongst the drab brown warehouses next to it.

They pushed their way through the crowds of Hogwarts students that filled the shop and made their way over to the pranks section, to find the people they least wanted to see already browsing through the items.

Sirius, Potter, Lupin and Pettigrew turned when the fifth-years approached them. "Trixibells!" He said loudly.

She made to leap at him, but Lucius and Rabastan held her back.

The Marauders laughed. "Good move, kiddies." Sirius said cockily. "Don't want Trixie to pay yet another visit to the hospital wing…"

"Shut it, Black." Antonin Dolohov said defensively as he stepped forward and pulled out his wand. James Potter did the same.

"Prongs, put your wand away. Same for you, Dolohov. We're not having another fight, especially not here." Lupin's voice made them all look at him angrily.

"Moony, I can't just _back out_! If she wants her other arm broken, then let her! It's her choice." Sirius said, as if this were the fairest thing in the world.

"Hilarious, Pads. Hilarious. Now put the wands away." The Gryffindor Prefect said when he realised that everyone but him had his or her wand out and pointed at someone in the opposite house. "I will give out detentions, don't think I won- Oi!" He said as Lucius shot a jet of dark grey light at him. Finally giving up with the pacifism, he drew his own wand and sent a curse of his own back at the blond Slytherin.

Bellatrix moved in to attack Sirius, but she felt someone's hand grab the back of her white shirt. Whirling around furiously, she met the angry green gaze of her middle sister. "Drom? What are you doing? Let me go!"

"Bells, you've only just got out of the detentions, do you really want more?"

"I want to kick Siri's traitorous arse, that's what I want to do!"

Without warning, the younger girl spun on her heel and ran away. Bellatrix looked after her, bemused at Dromeda's actions, before turning and forgetting it, her mind instead whirring with he question of what curse to throw at her cousin, who was standing in a duelling position for her, an annoying _I'm-so-much-better-than-you_ smirk on his face.

But before either of them could send even sparks at each other, a voice came from behind them.

"Oi, you lot!" The portly shop owner called out, waddling towards them with Andromeda in tow. "Watch d'ya think yer doing, eh?"

Everyone immediately pocketed his or her wand. Both her cousin and sister had spotted Andromeda by now, and she was trying to avoid their glares by staring at the floor. The shop was slowly emptying; not only did the school gates close in half an hour, but no one wanted another instalment of the 'Raging Black War'.

"Righ', all a' yer, get ou', before I call tha' school o' yours and tell 'em what's goin' on." The shop owner said, pointing to the door.

Neither of the houses moved, each not wanting to be the first to walk away.

"Righ'!" The shop owner said angrily, waving his wand and summoning a piece of parchment and a quill. "Alrigh', then. Missy, what's your name?" He asked, turning to Dromeda.

"Err… Andromeda Black…" She said hesitantly, unsure of why he wanted to know.

He scribbled down her name, and then turned to James Potter. "And you? You are?"

Potter stuck his chin in the air arrogantly, and it was obvious he was holding back a laugh. "Froogle McShufflebum."

The shop owner frowned at the weird name, then scribbled it down, and turned to Sirius. "You?"

"Georgina Peachypoo." He said proudly. "My parents wanted a girl." He added when the owner shot him a confused look. Evan muttered something that sounded like 'and they got one' under his breath.

"Righ', then…"

"Oh, and that," He said, pointing to his cousin, "is Samuel Peachypoo. Her parents wanted a boy, you see. We're a pretty messed up family. Cousins." He added at the owner's confused expression.

However, the adult's expression didn't change. "Samuel? I coulda sworn I 'eard you calling her Trixibell earlier…" Suddenly, realisation dawned on his round face. "Oi, you lo' better not 'ave tricked me…"

The nine teenagers burst out laughing, and bolted out of the door, closely followed by Andromeda.

"Oh, my God! The man's an idiot." She said, doubling over with laughter. "Oh, and we better be getting back. It's five to four. We have to be back at ten past, right?"

Everyone but Dromeda froze, and looked at her. "No…" Rabastan said, gulping. "We have to be back at four, or the gates close, and we get locked out…"

The words hung in the air, until all ten of them spun on their heels and bolted down the high street.

"Dammit!!" Potter shouted as he raced past an empty warehouse. "I forgot to buy that itching powder!"

"Oh, shove off, Potty!" Lucius yelled over his shoulder.

They sprinted up the hill towards the castle looming at the top, slipping on the loose stones.

"Time?" Lupin yelled over his shoulder.

Andromeda, the only one who had the hindsight to wear a watch, glanced down at her watch and skidded to a halt resignedly. "Three minutes past." She sighed.

"We've missed it." Said Pettigrew sadly.

"Oh, well done, Merlin!" Antonin snapped at him as everyone stopped too.

"Look, the gates have shut." Bellatrix said with a sigh of her own. Sure enough, the huge, wrought iron gates were securely locked, and there was no need to tell any of them that magical enchantments stopped anyone from getting in by any other means than the gates.

"Well this sucks." Evan spoke for everyone, and they nodded in agreement.

"This is all your fault, Drom!" Bella said angrily, turning and glaring at her younger sister, who looked shocked. "If you hadn't gone and told that idiot, we wouldn't be locked out of the school now!"

"Bella, if you hadn't started the bloody fight in the first place, I wouldn't have needed to tell him!"

"You didn't need to tell him anyway! We'd have been fine!"

"Yeah, right! You'd have been stuck in detention until Christmas!"

"Atleast I'd be free of _you_!" Bella said loudly, her teeth bared in a slightly insane, animalistic growl.

"Oh, shut up, you two." Sirius rolled his eyes at his cousins. They sent identical glares his way in return.

Without another word, the ten turned and started walking silently and slowly up the hill towards the school. When they reached the gates, they were all surprised to see Albus Dumbledore standing outside the impossibly high wall that surrounded the school, waiting for them.

The Headmaster smiled slightly at them, before waving his wand, causing the gates to clink open. "Ah, it's nice to see you all have finally found the time to return." The words were not said in an accusing manner, but every one of them felt guilty, which was probably the Headmaster's intention. Before any of them could apologize, though, Dumbledore had spoken again. "And I must inform you, that I have received a very angry owl from the owner of Zonko's. And he asks me to punish three students accordingly – these three students going by the names of Froogle McShufflebum, Georgina Peachypoo, and Trixibell Peachypoo." He smiled at the knowingly, before turning and walking for the gates, they following close behind him.

**If anyone actually has the name Froogle McShufflebum, Georgina Peachypoo, or Trixibell Peachypoo, then I am very sorry for stealing your names.**

**Yeah, so Roddy has finally made his grand appearance. He doesn't have a big part yet, but in chapter 16 (death eater meeting), he will have a much bigger part to play :D**

**BTW, I won't be able to update until ****SEPTEMBER****. Sorry :(**

**Reviews will be loved.**

**Adieu xxxx**


	15. Letters and Crystallised Pineapple

**I AM SOOOO SORRY!!**

**I haven't updated for EONS!! I hate writer's block of the MEGA kind. But still, you got your chapter, so quit your complaining. :P**

**This was just a little filler chapter to… fill, as I'm sure that's what most filler chapters do.**

**Think about it, people. If I wasn't JKR for the last bazillion chappy-tors, then how could I suddenly become her?**

**Enjoy, though. :D **

Chapter 15

_Bellatrix,_

_Andromeda wrote to me a few days ago – she, for one, is able to follow requests of writing to me – telling me of certain… mishaps, shall we say, that have occurred due to careless actions on your part. When I say that you are to abolish all contact with your ex-cousin, I mean it. You are not to go gallivanting about with him, fighting in school and making a mockery of yourself and your family like some carefree Muggle girl with no family reputation to uphold._

_In case it has escaped your notice for these past fifteen years, Bellatrix, you are a Black. You must show that filth that Dumbledore lets inhabit that school exactly what it means to be a Pureblood. I doubt I need to tell you again what that means; even you are not that stupid._

_I have also received a letter from one Professor Slughorn regarding your grades. I am amazed at how a girl who has been tutored in magic since she was three still cannot achieve a pass grade in Charms. I cannot believe I gave birth to such a stupid and insolent child._

_This is your OWL year. If you do not get atleast thirteen passes, then I am afraid you can pack your bags and join Sirius._

_I know you have a tendency to be dim-witted and useless, but that is no excuse for dishonouring the family name by letting scum beat you in every lesson. It is your duty to marry into a respectable family and carry on that family name. You have no hope of marriage if you find yourself unable to perform even the simplest of charms. If I didn't know better, I would have thought you were a squib. I know you have the brains; it's just your attitude. So may I suggest that you stop being an ignorant brat and buck up your ideas, before I decide to buck them up for you._

_Your mother, Druella Black._

Bellatrix slammed her fist into the table as soon as she'd finish reading the letter, sending scrambled egg all over the place.

"Another letter from Mother?" Narcissa asked, recognising her sister's behaviour without even looking up from her omelette.

"Stupid woman! _I can't believe I gave birth to such a stupid and insolent child…_ Look! Dim-witted and useless, _Jesus_… Thirteen passes?! There are only fourteen OWLs!! I have _no_ chance of doing that… Especially as McGonagall's at my throat anyway…" Bella raged, stabbing her eggs harder than necessary with her fork. Cissa reached across the table and grabbed the letter, scanning over it quickly. Her eyebrows raised, but she didn't say anything. Bellatrix raised her own, expecting backup from her little sister. "Well? Don't you have anything to say? Look… _making a mockery of yourself and your family…_ and I do not _gallivant_ with Sirius! I don't even know what that means… a _Squib_…"

"I think she's got a point, actually." Narcissa mused quietly, not daring to look up. Luckily for her, Bella hadn't heard, as their middle sister had walked past, smiling at the two of them, not knowing the rant she was about to get.

"Andromeda! What the bloody Hell did you write to Mother about me for? Look at the letter I just got! Look!" She said loudly, brandishing it in her sister's face. Andromeda grabbed it but didn't read it, instead putting it back on the table and starting to walk off.

Bellatrix grabbed her backpack, yanking her back. "Drommie! Why did you snitch on me like that? Did you really need to give Mother another reason to hate my guts??"

"Jesus, Bella. Mother _asked_ what you were getting up to. So… so I told her that, erm, you were bunking off some lessons. And other things…" She trailed off, trying to unhook her sister's fingers from her bag. "Bella! Let _go_!"

"She's threatening to disown me! _Disown me_!"

"Oh, shut up, Frizzball. You would have done the same thing, had she asked about me." Andromeda snapped, digging her nails into her sister's fingers in an attempt to make her let go. "Look, why don't you just write to Mother and tell her what I wrote was a load of crap?"

"Because she got a letter from Slughorn, too! I can't exactly say that he was lying too, can I?"

"Well if Slughorn's your problem, why are you blaming me?" Dromeda snapped, finally throwing off her sister's hand. "Just go talk to him, if it's bothering you that much. Or, here's an idea, how about you actually _work_ in lessons?"

But Bellatrix wasn't listening to her anymore; Lucius and the others had just come in. She flung herself into his arms and attacked his lips with hers. He sat down, facing away from the table so she was straddling him.

"McGonagall at two o'clock, guys. Girl. Whatever." Evan warned, just in time for the couple to break apart and see the Head of Gryffindor striding towards them. Bella slid off his lap, accidentally-on-purpose and not very subtly giving Lucius and the other boys a rather nice view up her skirt as she did so. Andromeda rolled her eyes.

"Miss Black, Mr Malfoy, I must ask you to refrain from putting on a show like that in front of everyone. You're making a rather bad example to the younger ones. And, as Prefects, that is not a good idea. I could have your badges taken away, you know. Now please, eat your breakfast and stop with your… _canoodling_." And with that, she marched away.

Evan snorted. "_Canoodling_." He giggled. This, of course, set Bellatrix off, and soon all five of them were having fits of laughter.

"Bastan?" Bella said once she'd managed to calm down. "Any news from your brother about… y'know…"

He shook his head as he drowned his pancakes in syrup. "He said he'd write. It's only been a few weeks, Bells, and the Dark Lord… well, that goes without saying, really…"

"_Shush_!!" Everyone hissed at him, making sure no one overheard. "Do you realise the _trouble_ we'd be in if anyone here found out what we're doing? This is illegal! A life-sentence in Azkaban, Rabastan!" Antonin whispered furiously.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry!" He cried, holding his hands up. "I won't say it again!"

The bell tolled loud and clear throughout the hall, signalling that it was time for everyone to go to his or her first lesson. Rabastan looked sorrowfully at his half-eaten pancakes, before standing up.

--

Slughorn waddled through the door to the Potions classroom, and the fifth-years queuing up outside immediately quietened. He smiled at them, brushing the remains of crystallised pineapple off of his fingers. "Hello class. Today we'll be studying a potion that is ninety-nine-point-nine percent certain to come up in your OWLs. Come in, get your books out and sit down, and I'll talk you through it."

Sitting down in her usual place, Bella dumped her books on her desk and prepared herself for forty-five minutes of boredom, possibly enlightened with Gideon Prewett blowing up his cauldron again. Slughorn waved his wand and a set of complicated instructions appeared on the board. He started to explain, but soon enough, Bellatrix got more interested with where Lucius' hand was going up her thigh.

About halfway through the lesson, Bella heard Slughorn calling her name. "Miss Black? Bellatrix, could I have a word? It won't take more than a minute, I assure you."

Shifting past Rabastan and Antonin, she made her way towards him. He gestured to his office, and she obliged. As he sat down in his chair, he nodded towards one on he opposite side of the desk. Bellatrix sat down.

"Now, Bella…" This was one of the things she found most annoying about Professor Slughorn; while other teachers settled for 'Black' or 'Miss Black', he called her 'Bella' like one of her friends. "Would you care for some crystallised pineapple?" He asked, holding the box out. She just shook her head.

"Each to their own." He muttered, putting three in his mouth at once, the sugar getting all over his walrus moustache. "I wrote to your mother about a week ago…"

"I know, sir." She said, sitting on her hands. "I got a letter about it this morning."

He nodded. "As your Head of House, Bella, I have a look at your predicted grades before your OWLs. You see, based on the little test you had in your first year – do you remember that? – you should be aiming for possibly fourteen 'Outstanding's. But from the lessons this year, you'd be lucky if you got five passes. You're a clever girl, Bella, one of the best, if not _the _best, in your year when you put some effort into it. Why aren't you trying hard?"

"I… I don't know, sir." She lied. If she would be truthful, she would have said _'because school is a waste of time. I'm soon going to be accepted into the Dark Lord's ranks, do you really think he cares about OWLs or NEWTs or whatever?'_

"Okay, Bella. I don't think you understand just how important OWL year is. It can shape your future. What do you want to be when you're older?"

_The Dark Lord's most trusted servant_. "Err, Mother says that we should marry and raise a family, sir. Leave the men to work."

Slughorn took another handful of crystallised pineapple. "Shame. You've got a brilliant mind, Bellatrix, when you put it to use. You could easily become the first ever female Minister of Magic."

Bellatrix didn't say anything to this.

"Even if you'll just raise a family, Bella, these OWLs are critical. If you don't get enough passes, we can hold you back a year. If the classes are too hard, just tell me and I'm sure I could get some extra tuition for you. Are they too hard?"

"No, sir, they're fine. I'm just… not paying attention."

"You come from a clever family, you know. Your cousin aced his OWLs last year, and your youngest sister's done brilliantly in the First-Year test. I expect all five of you to be in the Ministry in ten, fifteen years time."

_I just told you, you great buffoon, me, Cissy and Dromeda won't work. We marry, we have kids. That's it._ Again, she was silent.

He sighed. "Alright, Bella, go back into your lesson. Think about what I said."

Bellatrix stood up, muttered, 'yes, sir, thank you, sir' under her breath and made her way back into the classroom, only to find everyone looking at her. Lily Evans stood in the doorway, holding a note. She looked over Bellatrix's head at Slughorn, who had just emerged from the study behind her. "Professor, Madam Fay wants to see Bellatrix Black immediately." She said, handing him the note.

He scanned it, before folding it and putting it in his pocket. "Bella, get your things. Lily here will take you to the Hospital Wing."

Wondering why she needed the Hospital Wing, Bella grabbed her stuff from under the desk and followed Evans out of the door. "What's all this about, then, Mudblood?"

"My name's Evans, Black."

"You're blood's filthy, _Evans_." Bella retaliated, glaring up at the older girl.

"Would it kill you to get your head out of your arse for once in your life?" Evans snapped. "Your sister's in the Hospital Wing. She wanted to see you, though why, I can't quite imagine."

"Which sister? Why?" Bellatrix asked, her tone completely different now.

"The blonde… Narcissa." Evans said, somewhat surprised that Bellatrix Black cared about anyone but herself. She felt Black's eyes on her, so said – "She got hexed. It was quite bad, but it's more shock than anything, I think."

"Who? Who hexed her? I'll kill them!!" She practically shouted.

Evans glared at her to be quiet. "Sirius."

"_Sirius_? Oh, God, he's just asking for it now… She can't even do a Disarmer properly, she had no chance… where is he? What lesson? I'll kill him!" Bellatrix's voice was slowly but steadily getting louder and louder.

"Black, shut up!" Evans hissed, looking around to check that no one came out of their lessons to see what the commotion was. "I could give you detention for shouting like that!"

"Oh, piss off, Evans. I don't see why you need to escort me like this. I know the way to the Hospital Wing."

"I was told I had to escort you, Black. Believe me, I could think of thousands of things I'd rather do that escort one spoiled brat to see another." Evans snapped, thankful when, at last, they turned the corner towards the entrance to the Hospital Wing.

The door was open, and Bella hurried in, looking around for a blonde head. The only occupant of the room, Narcissa was over in the corner. "Cissy! Cissa, are you okay?" She asked, hurrying over. Cissa rolled over and held out her arms for a hug. Bellatrix sat down and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Okay, okay, shh. Where does it hurt?"

Narcissa whimpered something, and clambered on to her sister's lap. "Sirius hexed me." She muttered.

"I know. What with?" Bella asked, but Narcissa only shrugged. Madam Fay bustled over. "Ah, Bellatrix, you're here! Narcissa asked for you and Andromeda… it doesn't look like she'd here yet… Well, she was hit with a rather nasty spell, one of Sirius' own creations, and I can't be fully aware of the damage done. I think she's fine, though. If she takes tomorrow off, just relaxes, I'm pretty certain she'll be as good as new come Wednesday."

"Thanks, Madam Fay." Bella said as she stroked Narcissa's hair.

A cry of "Bella! Cissy!" made them both look up. Dromeda was running towards them. She sat on the bed next to them and hugged Cissa tightly. "I heard about Sirius… what did he hex you with?"

"One of his own spells." Bellatrix answered for Narcissa. "Madam Fay can't tell what's been done; the spell's never been used before."

"He was gonna try it out on you, Bella." Cissa murmured, resting her head on Bella's shoulder and playing with a black ringlet. Andromeda laughed. "It hurt, though. Can I sleep in your bed tonight, Bella? Please?"

Bella didn't say anything. She had recently taken to spending the entire night in the boy's dormitory, instead of sneaking back into her own afterwards, trying not to wake anyone up. Dromeda glared at her. "Okay, fine. You can sleep in my bed. Just… don't be annoying. Please."

The bell tolled, and Madam Fay came back over from where she was thanking Evans and Remus Lupin, who had escorted Dromeda, and told them that they could go back to their common room. "What was that look for?" Bella hissed at her middle sister while the youngest clung to her hand.

"You were going to turn her down so you could go screw Lestrange or whoever." She spat back, shifting Cissa's bag on her shoulder.

"I'm going out with _Lucius_, actually." Bella whispered furiously. Andromeda muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'I doubt that would stop you.' But Bellatrix didn't hear; she had just seen Sirius, Potter and Pettigrew come out of their Transfiguration class. "Wait there." She instructed, yanking her hand out of Narcissa's grip. "Sirius!" She shouted, walking confidently towards him.

"Trixibells! Aww, what an un-lovely surprise!" He said, clapping his hands together and bouncing on the balls of his feet, grinning widely.

"Why did you hex Cissy?" She demanded.

He dropped the act. "Well, Bella, it's all your fault really. See, she called Lily a Mudblood. So, I had to hex her. Little kids, you know. Need to be pushed in the right direction. If you hadn't taught her that word in the first place, then we wouldn't be having this delightful little conversation."

Bella dropped her bag and made to fly at him, but someone's bony hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned on her heel to find McGonagall glaring down at her. "Miss Black, get to your common room _now_, before I give you a fortnight of detentions."

She was deadly serious, so Bella glared spitefully at Sirius, who fluttered his eyelashes and grinned back at her. She picked up her bag and stormed off, her sisters following close behind. "What was that about?" Dromeda demanded.

"Nothing." Bellatrix replied through clenched teeth.

--

When she got back to the Slytherin common room, she immediately felt someone's arm around her waist and was pulled back into the wall. Rabastan brandished a letter in front of her. _It can't be…_ she thought, and took it with a shaking hand.

_Bastan,_

_Good news – the Dark Lord has finally given me permission to bring you in. He's intrigued at the idea of teenagers; he thinks that training you young could be a good idea. You might want to warn Bellatrix Black, though. There are no female Death Eaters as of yet, and some of them might think she's there for something else._

_You and the others should meet me in the Forbidden Forest by the secret gate at seven fifteen on Friday. Just come in your school uniform, that'll be fine. Bring your wands, and nothing else. __Tell nobody.__Don't be late._

_You will have __one chance__ to back out. If you blow it, you're in it for life, and it's obey or die._

_Rodolphus._

Bellatrix swallowed, an odd mix of fear, joy and something else rising within her. She handed the letter back. "Well…" She said, "it's too late to go back now."

The next chapter is going to be the big one. The one you've all been waiting for. The DARK LORD!! Dundunduhhh!!

**BTW, do you want Remus/Sirius in here?**

**x**


	16. Little Girl

**Salutations.**

**This chapter is different to others. I expect a lot of you will say that Bella's OOC, but think about it – she's confident at school, but suddenly she's being put down. And it's a shock, too. And besides, the thing I find fascinating about the pre-book Black sisters is that you don't know how they behave. Bella isn't batshit crazy, Narcissa probably wasn't the icicle she is in GoF and Andromeda… who knows?**

Chapter 16

Rodolphus could easily hear the five of them coming from a mile away; the shouts of "Are you sure we're not lost, Bastan?" and "OW!! Dammit, my hair's stuck again…" carried through the otherwise silent forest.

Finally, two boys burst through the undergrowth. Rodolphus recognised one of them as his brother, and immediately stalked over and grabbed his arm, yanking his arm. "You _idiot_!" He snapped. "You call that _quiet_? It sounded like a load of dragons! And I told you not to be late!"

"We're not! You said be here at seven fifteen! It's seven fifteen, Rod!" Rabastan protested, yanking his arm free of his brother's grip.

"You're lucky I expected this to happen! You have to be there ten minutes early with the Dark Lord!" He looked up as Evan, Lucius and a shirtless Bellatrix pushed out of the wild brambles. "Why aren't you wearing your shirt, Black?" he demanded, exasperated.

She shrugged, brandishing the hand that held it. "It kept getting caught on branches and stuff, so I took it off." Bella said as she bent over brushed the dirt off her legs, giving every one of them a perfect view down her bra.

Lucius noticed how everyone's eyes were on her, and snatched her shirt from her hand, shoving it over her shoulders, glaring at the others. She was shocked. "Lucius, what the…?"

"Just stop behaving like a slut, okay?" He snapped, doing her buttons up roughly. She didn't answer, and there was silence. "Are we going to go or what?" He demanded.

Rodolphus held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, Malfoy, okay. Come on." He tapped the secret entrance that he'd discovered in his fourth year with his wand, and it opened. The teenagers filed out past him. Bella held her hand out for Lucius to hold as he came up behind her, but he brushed past her and went to walk with Antonin. She didn't move, not until she felt someone's arm around her waist, urging her to walk forward. "Come on, Black."

"L-Lestrange?" She said, shocked, but rather happy at the attentions he was paying her. "What are you…?"

"You don't want to be late now. It'd be a shame to waste a pretty little thing like you…" He whispered, pulling her closer.

She happily snuggled against his firm chest, not seeing his smirk from above her. She was falling right into his trap. He was impressed with himself – the oldest, most infamous and beautiful Black sister was clinging onto him like she'd die if she dared to let go. Given, she was a teenage girl, and he in his late twenties, but still, it was quite an achievement.

Rabastan looked back to where his brother was walking, and sighed. He hated Rodolphus' ability to send any girl into madness for him without any effort. He'd seen tons of girls be hurt by him, and couldn't let that happen to Bella.

She was, after all, his world, though she didn't know it.

--

Once they were a safe distance from the castle, the elder shoved Bellatrix harshly away to free his hands. She went sprawling on the ground, but he ignored her as he pulled a portkey out of his pocket. "Everyone grab a hold." He snapped, holding it out, before sneering down at the girl. "Even you, Black."

Rabastan helped her up, but she wrenched her arm away before reaching forward to grab the portkey. The familiar tug behind the navel, and the world spun around them.

Soon enough, they were facedown on the ground somewhere else. Bella lifted her head, and saw men in masks and black cloaks. She punched Lucius, who was next to her, on the arm, and he looked up, too.

"Get up, you lot." Lestrange's voice came. Bella immediately scrambled to her feet, followed by the other four, and trailed after Rodolphus as he approached the other men.

"These the new 'uns, Lestrange?" Some masked man asked, looking them over. "Oh… and ya brought a whore, too…" He said nastily, looking Bella up and down, his eyes lingering on the hem of her too-short skirt and half-unbuttoned blouse. "Tha's good… are we paying this one or just killin' 'er at the end?"

Lestrange laughed, looking at her too, as if she were some animal in a zoo. "Believe it or not, Rookwood, she's not a whore, despite the way she dresses. She's Cygnus Black's eldest daughter."

"Black?" The man, Rookwood, said, his tone surprised. "_She's_ a Black? Cygnus' _daughter_? You sure not his whore?"

"Well… could be both. You can never know with that family." Lestrange laughed. Other men joined in. Bellatrix felt her face flush red. She clenched her hands together, furious. This didn't escape Rodolphus' notice. "Aww, did we upset the little girl?" He mocked. "Does the little girl not like the truth?"

She flew at him, pounding his chest with her fists. "I am _not_ a whore!" She yelled. Someone grabbed the back of her shirt and tried to yank her back, but it ripped instead. She felt someone's hands close over her fists, and looked up to see Lestrange grinning down at her.

"Aww, does the little girl think she's strong? Well here's the truth, _slut_, you're not. I could kill you with my bare hands." He lifted her up by her wrists. She whimpered slightly.

"Rodolphus!" Rabastan said, grabbing his brother's arm. "The Dark Lord will be here any minute now!"

"Lucky you've got your boyfriends here today, little girl. You may not be so fortunate next time." He hissed in her face, before dropping her on the ground. Her legs gave way, and she crumpled to the floor. He knelt down. "But know this, there have _never_ been any female Death Eaters before, and I very much doubt there will ever be. The only place you will get to through this profession is in a lot of men's beds. Understand?"

Bella nodded vigorously, scared against her will, and he stood up. Evan and Antonin grabbed her arms and hoisted her up. She was confused; he'd been so nice to her before, but now…

She tried to hold back the tears, but she couldn't. The men glared at her, some amused, some hateful and some wondering how on earth this girl thought she could make it into the Dark Lord's inner ranks.

"All of you go sit over there," Rodolphus said, gesturing to a corner. "And wait until the Dark Lord comes." He instructed, before turning back to the other men.

Rabastan stood awkwardly, until he found the courage to ask Rodolphus, "What time will he be here, Rod?"

"He doesn't have to be here on time! He's the Dark Lord! We are just expected to be here and wait for him!" His brother snapped. Rabastan flinched, and ran back to the other teenagers. Rodolphus rolled his eyes as he turned back to the other men. "I'm going to look like an _idiot_…"

"Well… the Dark Lord _was _interested in them… maybe it'll go fine." A tall man with long brown hair shrugged.

"Travers, I've brought along a spoilt prostitute, my goody-two-shoes brother, and three other wimps! Do you honestly think I'll be in good favour?"

"You could always throw the Black girl at him and let her do her thing… I suppose he'd be happy then." Rookwood said, drawing out laughter from the other black-clad men. "Female Death Eater, though… that's a thought… hate to let the wife 'ear o' that; she'd be trying to join next. Wonder if Black'll get in…"

"Hopefully the Dark Lord will just kill her. That'd show Cygnus Black… thinking he's above joining the Dark Lord… refuses to join and has his eldest murdered…"

More laughter. Laughter, laughter, laughter. They were _laughing_ at her, because of what? Because she was a girl? She could do just as well as any of them. She'd tortured people. She enjoyed it! So what made her so pathetic? She'd never killed a person… the only people who'd ever annoyed her enough to consider it were her cousins and sisters, and she'd hate to think what her mother or aunt would do to her if she did… Mudbloods annoyed her, of course, but she couldn't kill in Hogwarts…

Bellatrix was curled up in the corner, not caring that her skirt was blowing up with the wind. They already thought she was a slut, so what was the point? Lucius, Evan, Rabastan and Tony were a couple of metres away.

They were right. She'd never impress the Dark Lord. She was good for only one thing. _Mother was right. I'm useless._ She thought, blinking more tears back furiously.

A sudden change in atmosphere made her look up. The men were moving hurriedly into a circle position. Her four so-called friends had stood up but looked unsure of where to go.

A cold wind brushed over them, and a black cloud whipped into the circle, moving to stand on the small platform, completing the circle.

He was pale, skeletal, even. He had no nose… instead, two slits, like a snake's. His eyes were red, burning with evil, yet cold and calculating. He was impossibly tall, thin, with long, long fingers and a demeanour that demanded respect. Bella was enthralled.

His gaze swept over the circle, finally resting on the five out-of-place teenagers. The hairless skin above his right eye twitched… raising an eyebrow? "Are these the children we spoke about, Rodolphus?"

Lestrange fell to one knee. "Yes, my Lord. If… if they are not worthy, I apologise sincerely…" He trailed off when the Dark Lord held up one long, skinny finger.

The Dark Lord beckoned the five of them over. They immediately scrambled over, standing in a line in the middle of the circle. Bella was biting her nails: a habit she'd been trying to stop. She tried to stay still, but it was cold and she was terrified.

The tall, pale man paced back and forth in front of the five, until, "I will see them in the room. Send them in, one by one." He pointed one long white finger at the quivering girl. "Her last."

A rush of black smoke, and a door leading to another room slammed shut. There was silence, until Rodolphus Lestrange came up behind Rabastan and shoved him towards it. Rabastan turned, confused. "_GO_!!" His brother ordered, pointing at the door. Rabastan hurried off, stumbling slightly.

The older men digressed back into their circle, leaving the four remaining teenagers still in their line. Bellatrix stared at the ground, not moving a muscle, her nails, now jagged and uneven, digging onto her palms.

Rabastan came back some time later – Bellatrix wasn't concentrating, she didn't care about time, only about proving herself. The anger bubbled up inside of her, but she repressed it.

Rabastan came out, eyes sparkling as he stumbled towards them. He looked to his elder brother for sympathy, but all he got was a cold glare back.

Antonin went in after him. Later – minutes? Hours? Days? – he, too, came out. Then Lucius. Then Evan. Then, _finally_, Evan's hand was on her tensed arm. "Bella? Bells, it's your turn." Her eyes, large and confused, turned to meet his. He smiled weakly at her. "You'll be fine."

Her eyes hardened when she realised he'd assumed she was _scared_, and she jerked her arm out of his grip, stalking towards the door. She wasn't _scared_.

Well… not very much…

--

The door slammed shut as soon as she'd stepped into the room, and the light source was cut off. Nothing but pitch-blackness. Her breathing was the only sound in the room…

Then she was facedown on the floor. She hadn't fallen or done it submissively… somehow, she was just lying on the floor. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and she tried to control her breathing… _just calm down… calm down… if _he_ sees you like this…_

A high, cold voice came from somewhere – Bella couldn't place it, it was like it was _everywhere_ – chilling her to the bones. "Little, little girl. You don't like this, do you? You don't like being mocked. You're not used to it, are you? You want to be loved. Your parents don't love you, they prefer your sisters. Am I right? And deep down, you know your boyfriend doesn't love you. For once in your life, you want someone to appreciate you, to be glad you're there."

_DON'T cry… he doesn't mean it… it's a test, to see how tough you are…_

_Don't be an idiot, Bella. It's not a test. It's the truth. It's obvious Mother and Father don't like you. And has Lucius ever once said he loves you?_ She took a deep breath, furiously blinking back her tears.

"I won't love you, little girl. I can't love. Love is weakness. If it's love you're looking for here, then perhaps you'd better go home." There was a pause, until, "Answer me."

"No, no, I want to… serve you… I want to be feared, and… and…"

"And loved?"

_Yes. _"You said it yourself, s-sir. Love is a weakness."

A cold, humourless chuckle. "Very well."

And suddenly, the earth under her nose was damp, covered in mud. Bellatrix looked up, and found herself in a clearing. The trees were impossibly tall – reaching up to the black sky. A silvery light filtered through the trees from somewhere, casting an eerie glow over everything.

Bellatrix jumped to her feet, looking around. Where was that man? Where was the door? "Lucius?" She tried, calling out. "Evan?" She spun in circles, squinting through the half-light to try and find someone.

"They won't come, Bellatrix." Came a familiar yet unfamiliar voice from behind her. She spun on her heel so fast she slipped on a leaf and fell backwards. Scrambling back to her feet, she recognised who it was.

Narcissa stepped towards her, dressed in a thick black cloak with a hood. She was smiling confidently, looking at Bellatrix as if she were a piece of filth… below her…

"Cissy?" Bella called out. "Cissy, what are you doing here? Why are you dressed like that? Cissy… Narcissa, you're… you're scaring me…"

Narcissa began to walk confidently forward, her head held high. Then suddenly, there was a thing on her cheek… a hole… Bellatrix could see right through it to her teeth… the hole got bigger, exposing muscle, until that disappeared too. Her face was a gleaming mass of muscle and skull, but still she walked forwards, though not getting very far – whatever it was must be demolishing her body, too – until she crumpled to the floor, nothing more than bones caked in blood and a thick, black, _bloodstained_ cloak.

Bellatrix screamed, backing away. That can't have been Narcissa… it was an illusion, it had to be… but it looked so _real_…

A hand on the small of her back made her turn around, shaking uncontrollably. Andromeda stood there, dressed in the same cloak Cissa had been wearing. "You have to be ready for loss, Bellatrix." Andromeda said, grabbing Bellatrix by the shoulders and forcing her around, making her watch as a huge black crow flew down and started pecking at Narcissa's bones. "You have to look at her and know that her death was for the greater good. You have to accept that she's dead, and gone, and you're never going to see her, ever again."

Bellatrix screamed again, tears streaming down her face. She gasped for air, trying to pull away from her other sister, but Andromeda's fingers were iron-clasped around her shoulders. Suddenly, she was yanked back to face Dromeda again. The brunette just smiled at Bellatrix as she, too, began to disintegrate before her eyes. Bellatrix couldn't move. She was standing in a puddle of her sister's own blood, one bony, muscle-covered hand clinging onto the hem of her skirt, staining her legs with blood.

"You can't love them. Love is a weakness. You don't love them. Love is a weakness, _little girl_." The blackness closed around her, and she was falling…

The floor was once again cold and hard on Bellatrix's side. Her eyes snapped open, and she scrambled to her feet. Her throat was sore with screaming, but when she looked down at her legs there was no trace of blood at all…

"Get out. Go back to Hogwarts immediately." That high, cold voice demanded, and suddenly the floor around her was bathed in light… the door behind her had opened! Not wasting a second, Bellatrix had sprinted out of the door and collapsed.

When she finally looked up, everyone's eyes were still on her. She felt herself go red all over; thirty men had seen her crying on the floor like a ten-year-old. Lucius burst out laughing. "You're right, Rod." He said, slapping Rodolphus on the shoulder. _Rod_? "She'll never make it. She's _crying_, for God's sake."

Bellatrix shakily got to her feet. Usually, she'd say something, but after what she just saw… Cissy and Dromeda… She hurried over to the fireplace and grabbed a handful of the green powder from the pot. With a cry of 'Hogwarts!', the green flames took over her vision, the jeers of the men still ringing in her ears.

**I'm just waiting for the review that says "READ THE BOOKS! BELLA IS A DEATH EATER!!" and all I have to say to that is I KNOW. Who doesn't know? She ****will**** be a Death Eater in this FF, it's not AU. Just bear with me, mmmkay?**

**xxxx**


	17. Comfort

**Before I apologize profusely for my lack of updates, may I just say, Happy New Year. Hope you have a great 2009. :D**

**Okay, now for the apologising profusely. Sorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorrysorry. Sorry. There, done. No… wait… sorry. There :P**

**As of Boxing Day, I own a Slytherin tie and scarf. As of my fifth birthday, own a Hermione doll. As of various days, I own the books. As of never, I own the right to Harry Potter.**

**I'm not entirely sure I like this chapter, but you're who matters. :D So, tell me what you think.**

Chapter 17

A green rug covering a grey stone floor… _oompf_! Bellatrix fell flat on her face. Someone's footsteps hurried over to her. "Bella? Bella, are you okay?" She was being rolled over, and Andromeda was gazing at her, looking worried.

"Oh my God… oh my God, you're okay…" Bella said, sitting up and hugging her little sister tighter than she had for ages, not caring that her throat hurt with every word she spoke from all her earlier screaming.

"Of course… why wouldn't I be okay? And your eyeliner is smudged all over your face… have you been crying?" Bellatrix didn't answer, just held her tighter. "I just had astronomy, Bells, you should be asleep…"

"I love you. I love you so, so much. I'm sorry if I'm ever a bitch to you again. I don't mean it. I love you."

Andromeda frowned. Since when did Bella act like that? "Bella, stop that. You're stressed. Come on, you need to go to sleep." She said, hauling her sister up and dragging her towards the staircase.

Bellatrix just pressed her lips to her sister's forehead, a fresh tear rolling down her cheek. "I love you so, _so _much. Promise me you'll never leave me. You're beautiful, you really are. I swear I'll never say anything nasty to you again. I love you."

"Yes, yes, I love you too, but… why are you so emotional all of a sudden? Are you PMSing? Why were you crying? Did you have a fight with Malfoy or something? And why is your shirt ripped?"

Bella shook her head. "It was nothing. Don't worry about it. I'm trying to forget it happened." She whispered, stroking Dromeda's hair. Suddenly she gasped, causing the younger to look up. "Cissy!" Bella grabbed her sister's hand and dragged her off towards the staircase. She stopped outside the first-year dorm, flinging open the door. Five figures sat up from their beds blearily.

Andromeda watched as Bellatrix went straight for their little sister, pulling her up into a hug. Narcissa sent her a look that clearly said '_what's wrong with her?_' but Dromeda just shrugged. She had no idea why the black-haired sister was behaving like this; she'd entered the common room after her Astronomy lesson to find a flash of green light and her sister lying on the floor, eyeliner streaked all over her face and a huge rip in the back of her shirt.

Bellatrix started to cry, her head buried in her sister's hair. Narcissa rubbed her back, noticing the rip in the back of her sister's shirt. "Bella, what happened?"

But Bella didn't answer; instead she started rocking backwards and forwards, whispering how sorry she was for ever being a bitch, how she'd never let either of them out of her sight ever again.

Narcissa kicked off her covers and stood up, pulling Bellatrix with her. "Come on, Bells. You need some sleep." She took her sister's hand and led her out of the door. Andromeda followed as they went up the stairs, heading towards the fifth-year dorm.

Bellatrix went in and flopped onto her bed immediately, not bothering to even take her shoes off. Four other girls were in their beds, sound asleep. Andromeda slipped off her sister's shoes while Narcissa yanked the cover out from under her. Smoothing the cover out once it was covering Bellatrix, Narcissa stood up, only to have someone catch her wrist.

"Bella, go to sleep." She said, trying to prise the fingers off of her wrist.

"Do you love me?" Bella asked frantically, her fingers tightening around Cissa's wrist.

"Of course I love you, Bells. You're my sister. Even though you're a stroppy cow, I'll always love you. And Drommie loves you too." Narcissa stroked the tangled jet-black curls until the hand slowly slipped away from her wrist, and Bella's eyes fluttered shut.

Narcissa backed away, meeting Andromeda at the door. "What happened?" She demanded.

"I don't know." Dromeda answered honestly. They stood there in silence for a minute, watching her breathing, before they backed out of the room, careful not to wake any of the other fifth-year girls. "Maybe she'll tell us in the morning. Go back to sleep, Cissy." She kissed her baby sister's forehead as they reached the door to the first-year dorm.

Narcissa smiled weakly and slipped inside the door, shutting it gently behind her. Andromeda turned for her own dorm, her mind buzzing with worry for her elder sister.

--

"What do you bet she'll be upstairs in one of our beds, waiting for us?" Lucius hissed nastily, smirking.

Everyone but Evan laughed at this. "Leave her alone, Lucius." He muttered quietly, glaring at the blond boy.

Lucius turned on his heel. "You're _defending _that filthy whore, now, are you, Evan? What a surprise…"

Evan frowned. "What's that meant to mean, Malfoy?"

"Oh, nothing… just what Rodolphus said… y'know, about incest being a large factor in your family…" He said, one hand clutched around his wand in his pocket, just in case.

"Rodolphus is an idiot." Evan hissed, his face slowly turning red with anger.

"Don't talk about my brother like that, Rosier!" Rabastan half-yelled, stepping in front of Lucius.

The blond boy just gently pushed him aside. "Hold on, Rabastan… let Evan finish…" He looked at the smaller boy, one pale eyebrow raised.

Evan gulped. "She's my cousin. Bastan, _you_ nearly cried. And you nearly wet yourself, Lucius. I'm not saying I wasn't scared, either, because I was, but Bella hasn't had a good life. Cygnus and Druella – her parents – don't like her. They prefer Cissa and Andromeda. You don't know what he showed her. What if it was something really horrible?"

Lucius smirked. "How do you know he didn't show her something that any of us could have handled, and yet she still broke down and cried like a spoilt brat, Evan?"

Evan didn't answer.

Lucius smirked. "Exactly." And with that, Lucius turned on his heel and made his way over to the boy's dormitory, Rabastan and Antonin following close behind. Evan forced himself to calm down, before he, too, followed.

Their dormitory was empty. "Ah, well. She's probably off sleeping with a first year." Lucius laughed. The other two echoed his laughter, but Evan felt his hands clench into fists, and he noticed how pretty Lucius' prided blond locks would look spattered with his own blood.

--

Sirius could tell something was wrong with his cousin. He'd yelled 'HEY, FRIZZBALL!!!', at her after breakfast, but she'd just glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and walked on, looking down. Malfoy, Lestrange and that ratty Dolohov boy had yelled something at her, but she just turned on her heel and hurried into her classroom. She was spending a surprising amount of time with her sisters, instead of those bastards she usually hung out with.

"So, I think we should put pink hair dye in Snivellus' shampoo, and-"

"No, Wormy, that'll never work. Snivellus doesn't use shampoo, y'see. Right, Pads?" James' voice came, and Sirius jolted himself out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yeah… it'll never work…" He said quickly. Peter and James just looked at him expectantly. "Err… how about… erm, how about you get Peeves to dye his hair pink…by magic…?"

"We did that last week, Padfoot." Remus said quietly, not looking up from his book.

"Oh." Sirius said, before standing up and slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Listen, guys, I've gotta, err, do something… I'll tell you more later… see ya…" He turned out of the door.

There was silence among the three remaining Marauders, until James broke it with a cry of, "_Blue _hair dye…"

--

As soon as he'd stepped away from his friends, he felt a twinge of regret tug at the edges of his brain. He didn't know where she was. He didn't know what had happened, and it probably wasn't any of his business…

_Fuck that_, he thought as he walked past the library, only to have something surprise him. He'd recognise her hair anywhere… beautifully curly, not frizzy, like he always said, but _curly_… and only she could have her skirt that short and wear that much eyeliner…

But it couldn't be. _Bellatrix Black_, in the _library_???

He sauntered over to her and swung his bag onto the table, before slumping into the chair next to her. "Hey, Bella."

"What do you want, Sirius?" She mumbled, not taking her eyes off her paper.

He sighed, dropping the act now. "Look, Trix… Bella… I swear, I would never be doing this, but y'know, I'm a Gryffindor, and it's hard for me to see someone hurting, especially when I know I could help them, so… what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Sirius." She said quietly, her dark eyes – so like his – scanning the paper as she crossed out a mistake.

He elbowed her gently. "I'm not stupid, y'know, Bells. You haven't yelled at anyone at all today. You haven't been with Malfoy snob at all. Dromeda says you came back late last night, crying your eyes out. _What happened_?"

She burst into tears.

Sirius was shocked – she never cried in front of anyone but perhaps her sisters, but now, here she was, sitting where anyone could see her with tears running down her face. Then he remembered what to do. Putting an arm over her and shifting so her head could lean on his chest, Sirius stroked her hair, whispering, "It's okay, shh, shh, I'm here, it's okay…"

"I was just – _sniff _– trying to prove myself… for once in my l-life I want some… someone to see what I can d-do… but they… they just s-said I was a who-whore and t-that they wanted not-nothing to d-do with me. I­-I thought he was nice… I-I though he l-liked me for who I a-am, and not j-just because…" She broke off to sniff loudly and dragged the back of her sleeve across her nose, "Just because I s-slept with them and th-they think I'm just so-some sex toy th-they can jus-just take when they w-want… like I-I have n-no _feelings_… but I _do…_ it hurts and they don't realize it…"

Sirius carried on stroking her hair as she continued sobbing into his chest. A passing fourth-year walked past, watching Sirius comfort his sworn enemy, bewildered. Sirius held his middle finger up at him, and he scuttled away.

Eventually Bellatrix sat up, and looked at him. Her eyeliner had run all down her cheeks and her eyes were red and puffy. Sirius pulled out a tissue and wiped it over her skin, but only succeeded in smearing the black makeup over her cheek.

She smiled slightly and took it from him, licking it before trying again, this time successful. "Siri… when you ran away… where did you go?"

He frowned at this out-of-the-blue question. "Pro… James'. His parents are great, they really are. I'm getting a flat this winter, so I can live there. Why?"

She looked down, a fresh tear hanging from her long eyelash, threatening to fall. "Mother's going to kick me out when I get home for Christmas." She said, her voice strained.

"What? Why?" Sirius said, suddenly alarmed.

"I'm pre… pregnant." Bellatrix choked out. Sirius sat there in silence, shocked. She took this as an invitation to carry on. "I… I can't have children, see; I usually lose them after three or four months, but by that time I'll be home for the Christmas holidays, so I'll be having morning sickness and everything, right in front of Mother. And there'll be a slight bump, too, and she'll be expecting me to wear that really tight dress I had fitted in the summer-"

Sirius cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Wait, Bella, wait a sec… _whose is it_??"

She shook her head, and three more tears fell. "I don't know."

He sat forward and hugged her again. "Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay." He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Listen, Bella, there's this girl in my year, she's a genius at Potions. Well… at most things… but Potions is one of her best. Slughorn loves her. She got an O _and _a reward from the school in her Potions OWLs. She could make an abortion potion for you. Her name's Lily, Lily Eva-"

Bellatrix jerked back up into a sitting position, glaring. "I am _not _going to a Mudblood for help, Sirius. I'm better than that."

"So what else are you going to do? Go back home with a swollen stomach and get kicked out on the street with nothing?? I know just as well as you do your mother wants you to be a virgin when you get married after your seventh year, so she's not going to be happy when you get knocked up at fifteen, is she?"

Bella looked away. She'd never admit it, but Sirius was right. If she went home, she would be kicked out with only the clothes on her back, forbidden to talk to her sisters ever again. She wouldn't be a Black anymore, just a burn next to two perfect daughters on the family tree. And when she went back to Hogwarts, she'd have to face the other Slytherins… but her pride just wouldn't let her go to a Mudblood for help…

"You need to stop being so damn proud, Bella." Sirius told her, as if he could hear what she was thinking. "Lily's great; just because her parents are Muggles doesn't mean she's any less human than you or me. Honestly, she's one of the nicest girls I've ever met. Be brave, Bella."

"But I'm _not _brave, Sirius. I'm not a Gryffindor, and I don't want to be. I want to be a Slytherin, I am, I want to find the easiest way around things, I-"

He cut her off. "This _is _the easiest way. Think about it, what would you rather do? Have to meet up with a wonderful girl who just happens to be a Muggle-Born for a few weeks or be kicked out, have the whole Pureblooded world spit on you, _never speaking to Cissy or Dromeda again_…"

This did it. Bellatrix hiccupped. She couldn't cope without her sisters. They were her best friends, the only things that kept her going when her mother made her feel like scum. "Okay, okay, I'll go to this Mudblood-"

"She won't help you if you call her that. She hates it when people prejudice her because of her blood."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine. I'll go see this _Evans _girl, then."

Sirius leaned across, ruffling her hair. "That's my Frizzball." He laughed as she glared at him, before stroking her hair gently back down. "You know, me and my friends are more than adept at pranking people. We could do something… if you want…?"

Bella laughed slightly. "You'll prank them anyway, Siri, whether I tell you to or not. You do everyday."

Sirius smiled. "That's true. Oh, and by the way… check under your duvet tonight… I couldn't resist, sorry… just hit it with a book, or something… that should stop it…"

"Bella? Sirius?" Came a shocked voice from the other end of the table. They both looked up to see Andromeda standing there, a shocked expression on her face. "You two aren't arguing…"

"Special circumstances, Drommie." Sirius said, standing back up.

"Oh… okay…" The younger said, shocked at the way they both still had their heads firmly attached to their bodies. "Uh… Bella, I've got your lunch in my bag. We can't eat in here, shall we go back to the common room…?"

Bellatrix nodded, standing up and packing her stuff away. "Yeah. Thanks, Drom. Ugh, that was the first piece of homework I've done for ages… I feel so _weird_…"

Sirius smiled, bowing to them both for a reason neither of them understood, and walked out of the library, winking at a group of girls as he did.

--

_Dearest darling Frizzball,_

_Lily's said she'll do it. Meet her tomorrow night in the potions lab, and remember, NO Blood Purity shit, NO being a bitch and NO telling her any embarrassing stuff about me, unless you want the whole school to know you've got one in the oven. Ha. So there._

_On a more Sirius (get it? Serious? Sirius? Haha) note, she's __really__ clever, and she knows what she's doing. Just listen to her. And be nice – she is by doing this for you, though you're always a bitch to her. Besides, she could just as easily walk out on you and you'd be left to the mercy of dear old Auntie Drue._

_Sirius._

Bella rolled her eyes. Even in letters he was an idiot. And the Sirius joke was painful. It hadn't been funny the first time, and she never stopped telling him that it wasn't, but did he stop? No. Of course not. Since when did _Sirius Black _listen to people smarter than him?

Bella looked up as she felt someone's eyes on her. She looked up, and met Lucius' gaze. He smirked at her, before his eyes travelled down to her body. She shifted, crossing her legs and moving so her arm was covering her more. Bastard.

She sighed as she scrunched up the letter and threw it in the fire. It would all be over soon.

I think I was taking a slight risk with Bella getting pregnant, but… mm. Pleeeeeeeeease tell me what you think, and leave a review.

**Thanks, Ellie**

**xx **


	18. Unexpected Help

**I'm really sorry for not updating for so long – I have had SO much work. I probably shouldn't be updating now, as I have eight pieces of coursework and a Maths Mock on Monday (hahaa) but I am anyway :P**

**Chapters will be a lot slower now. Sorry, but when it comes to it, school is more important than fanfiction in the end. Thanks to everyone for being so patient xx**

Chapter 18

"I wasn't exactly too keen on this either, Black, so stop glaring and making it out as if I'm the one who suggested all of this." The pretty redheaded Gryffindor girl snapped, curling her hair behind her ear as she bent over the steaming cauldron.

The beautiful, dark Slytherin glared at the back of her head from where she was sat languidly back on a chair, her feet propped up on the table the Gryffindor was using for her ingredients. "I'm not _enjoying _this, if that's what you think, Evans. I simply have nothing better to do, and I need this."

"Then maybe you should have thought of the consequences before you went off and-" The redhead was cut off by a wand pressed to her throat.

"You don't want to complete that sentence, _Lily_, or I'll cut your tongue out and make you eat it afterwards." Bellatrix snarled, glaring at Lily for a good few moments before she took her wand away, moving around the table to peer into the cauldron. "Is it ready yet?"

Lily rolled her eyes, pushing Bellatrix away and flicking through the old, dog-eared potion guide. It had taken a lot of persuasion on her part to get permission from Slughorn to go into the Restricted Section and get it, and she'd been really quite worried when Bellatrix had started copying down a potion to melt someone's internal organs with rapt interest. "No, it's not. We've only been working on it for an hour."

"Well how long will it take then??" Bellatrix said, kicking out at a chair and sending it skidding along the floor, sounding like an impatient spoilt child.

_Well,_ Lily reasoned with herself, _judging by the amount of money her family has, I'd say she's been granted her every whim since the day she was born._ "About two weeks, if we work for two and a half hours a day after lessons."

Bella's jaw dropped. "_Two and a half hours a day?!_ There is no way I'm doing that!!! Forget it!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, did you have some prior commitment? Some boy's bed you have to jump into?" The Gryffindor snapped, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing at the Slytherin.

In a flash, Bellatrix's wand was out and pointed at the Gryffindor. "Shut your mouth."

"I don't think you're in the best position to tell me what to do, Black." Lily hissed.

Bellatrix glared, lowering her wand. She sat back on the chair and propped her feet up on the ingredients table again. Lily shoved them off. Bella rolled her eyes and propped them back up again.

--

"Narcissa." The low voice came from behind her, and the small blonde turned, looking up at the figure before her. Lucius Malfoy was leaning against the wall, his Slytherin tie undone and his shirt undone just enough to make her eyes widen at his pale chest.

"L-Lucius." She said, trying not to stare.

He smirked, reaching out and tucking a small strand of hair behind her ear. She tensed slightly, her eyes wide as they stared up at him. "How are you, my dear?"

"F-Fine... yourself?"

"Not so good actually. See, I was stuck on my Astronomy homework, and your sister was going to help me, but... well... we're not talking anymore, so I guess that's out of the question..." He sighed dramatically. "I guess it's a T for me, then... and in my OWL year too..."

Narcissa bit her lip. "I-I can do Astronomy... I could help you... i-if you want...?"

Lucius smirked again. "That would be fantastic, darling. Meet me at eight in the Astronomy tower." He leant down to kiss her cheek, whispering, "Wear something pretty," into her ear before he pulled away and disappeared round the corner.

--

Meanwhile, in the dungeons, Bellatrix was picking at her jagged, bitten nails, occasionally coughing at all the steam the potion was emitting.

"You sure you're doing this right, Evans?" The younger girl asked, waving her hand in front of her face. "It stinks."

"Yes, I'm sure. It's meant to do this. Just be patient. Not everything in life is handed to you on a silver platter, shocking as that news may be to you."

Bellatrix glared, but didn't say anything, instead reaching over for the redhead's bag. Lily, currently skinning a Shrivelfig, was completely oblivious.

"Ooh…" Bella smirked nastily, picking up a pink, scented letter. "The Mudblood's got a love letter…"

Lily spun around, dropping the Shrivelfig and lunging for the letter. "Hey! Give that back!!"

But Bella was too quick; she jumped to her feet and skipped around the potions room. "Aww, isn't this _sweet_! _To my dearest Lilyflower…_"

"GIVE THAT BACK!!"

"_I am in awe whenever I see your face. The sunlight shines out of your emerald eyes, and your hair is a waterfall of ruby beauty. How I long to take you in my arms and call you my own…_Jesus Christ, this is cheesy…"

"I SAID GIVE IT BACK!!!"

"_Your beauty, equivalent to that of a Greek Goddess… _whoever it is needs to be more specific… he could be comparing you to Medusa… wait, was she a Goddess or not…?"

"GIVE IT BACK, BLACK!!!"

"…_Shines brightly, lighting my day. Without you, my world would be a black abyss_… blah, blah_… you are my sunshine, my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are grey…you'll never know, dear, how much I love you, please don't take my sunshine away… _yuck…"

Lily grabbed it off Bellatrix, her almond eyes narrowed into a thin slit, and shoved it back in her blouse pocket. "Yuck indeed."

Bellatrix smirked, leaning against the wall. "If it's so yuck why do you keep it?" She countered, enjoying teasing Lily.

"B-because… I… because I… I can embarrass him by showing them to… to Sirius and people…" Lily stuttered.

"Right. Of course." Bellatrix said, smirking even wider. She shrugged herself off the wall, sauntering over to her chair and sitting back down before her demeanour changed completely. "I think it's quite sweet, actually." She said quietly, hoping Lily wouldn't hear.

Unfortunately, Lily heard. "Sweet? Why would you think it's sweet? I don't even think it's sweet, and I'm meant to be the one with a heart here."

"Shut up!! Just because I torture people and couldn't care less if my sister dropped dead right this second doesn't mean I'm heartless!!"

"Actually, I think that would be the general definition." Lily's mouth curled up in something that was between a smile and a smirk. Bellatrix glared at her but didn't say anything more, and silence filled the room until what felt like ten minutes later, Lily said, "This is probably going to bite me in the arse someday, but I don't think you're completely heartless. I mean… you wouldn't be here if you were. You obviously care about some things, some people, but not the kind of things most people would care about."

Bella looked up for a second, then down again. "You don't know that. Stop judging me."

"I do. I've seen the way you act around your sisters, especially Narcissa. You always want to make sure they're safe."

"I'm the only one who will do that though, Evans. I'm their big sister; I have to look after them. It wouldn't matter if we all died to my parents. That's how much they care."

"Oh… oh my God…" Lily said, and she thought she might understand now why Sirius never talked about his parents. She swallowed, looking down at the potion, which was currently turning mauve, then decided to change the subject slightly. "Well, your sisters are lucky you pay so much attention to them. Mine hasn't talked to me properly since I got into Hogwarts. She's a Muggle, you see, and I think she's jealous. Plus she's seen some of those letters James sends me, and the only boy who's ever noticed her is some fat Vernon guy, so I can understand where she's coming from. She's marrying him in the winter. She hasn't invited me."

"Oh." Bella said indifferently. She didn't like listening to other people's problems; their assumptions that she cared and that she would actually listen annoyed her. "My sisters are brats. They're spoilt brats. Well, Dromeda's okay, she's learnt that the world doesn't revolve around her, but Cissy's a different story. She's been brought up thinking that she only needs to scream and everything she wants will be handed to her on a silver platter."

"That explains so much." Lily laughed slightly. "I had to take her to Slughorn's office when she threw a temper tantrum in her Herbology class. She didn't get the pink earmuffs so she thought fit to throw a mandrake through the window."

Bella snorted. "So much for Pureblood composure. Mother would be so proud."

"Your other sister's nice, though. Andromeda, right? Yeah, we sometimes work together in the library and talk and things. She looks loads like y-" But she broke off; Bellatrix had stood up, sending her chair clattering across the floor, and pressed her wand into Lily's neck.

"You're not to talk to either of my sisters ever again, unless you absolutely have to. It's bad enough I just had that conversation with you, but I'm the disappointment daughter, I don't matter. _They_ are still perfect, and I'm not going to let a Mudblood like you mar that. I'm not letting them go through the kind of things I've had to go through because my parents don't like me. But they love Cissy, and they love Dromeda, so their lives are perfect. And that's not changing. So if you dare try to put any Mudblood ideas into their empty, naïve little heads, I swear to God I'll kill you."

Lily glared down at the younger girl. "The potion needs to simmer now. We'll leave it overnight and continue on it tomorrow."

Bellatrix pulled her wand away. "Oh thank God." She snapped, grabbing her bag, and then stormed out, slamming the door so hard after her that a shelf broke, and the occupants slid off onto the floor, smashing and oozing over the tiles.

--

As soon as she had spat the password at the portrait and entered the room, something small and blonde crashed into her chest, hugging her tightly.

"Bella! Need to ask you something! Now!"

Bella rolled her eyes, pushing her sister away. "Go ask Dromeda, Cissy. I'm not in the mood." She turned and walked towards the girl's dormitories, not noticing Narcissa following behind her.

Bellatrix flopped facedown onto her bed, sighing. Narcissa sat cross-legged at the end of the bed, sucking her thumb and staring at her with wide eyes. "But Bella, it's really important!!! Really really important!!"

The elder sat up straight, glaring daggers at the twelve-year-old. "Narcissa!! _Fuck off!!_ I don't want to have to listen to your constant whining and crying!! Can't you see I'm not in the bloody mood to have my bratty, stupid little sister complaining about how for once in her pathetic little life she's _not_ being spoilt rotten?! Look at you! You're twelve years old and you're still sucking your thumb! You're pathetic!! Now get out of my room. _Now!!!_"

Narcissa blinked at her, then burst into tears. "W-why is everyone mean to me…?"

Bellatrix screamed, throwing a glass at Narcissa's head, but in her anger it soared over the blonde's head and smashed against the door. "Because this is life, Narcissa!! This is the real world!! In this world, Cissy, you're not a perfect little angel who can do no wrong!! In this world, you're a disgrace! An embarrassment!! You're just a spoilt little brat whose parents don't care! That's right, Narcissa, they don't care! I don't care if _Daddy_ calls you his _princess_, I don't care if _Mummy _buys you new toys every day!! The truth is, they wouldn't shed a tear if you dropped dead right now. I don't think _anyone_ would." Bellatrix's chest heaved as she glared at the little blonde girl, her teeth bared.

The younger cried even harder, shrinking into one of the bedposts.

Bellatrix stared at her, wondering if she'd been too harsh. She sighed, reaching over and pulling – a bit too harshly, but Narcissa was used to being pushed around by Bellatrix – the sobbing blonde onto her lap.

"I'm sorry, Cissy." She whispered as Cissy snuggled into her. "I'm in a bad mood. You know how things are. What with the baby and everything-"

"Bella?" Narcissa said, cutting her off, "Where do babies come from?"

--

Andromeda walked into the common room, smiling widely as she flopped down on one of the chairs near the fire, staring into the bright, dancing flames and reminiscing what had just happened. _He_'d just talked to her for over an hour, making her laugh, making her smile for the first time in ages…

She shook her head, mentally slapping herself. It wasn't right… he wasn't Pure, and she was a daughter of the Blacks, which is just about as Pure as you get. A _Mudblood_. She couldn't like a Mudblood, not even in the friendly way. _This is the last thing you need right now, Dromeda._ She thought to herself, glaring into the fire. _Bella's pregnant, Cissy's being Cissy, and if you start being friends with a bloody Muggle-born – no, Mudblood – it'll just make everything worse._

Her thoughts were cut off by something small and blonde flying into her lap. "Save me from Bella!" The high-pitched plea came, and sure enough, when Andromeda looked up, the eldest Black sister was already storming over to them. "Bella?" Dromeda frowned, rubbing Narcissa's back. "What's going on?"

"It's Lucius fucking Malfoy. I'll kill him." Bellatrix said, cracking her knuckles in a way that made the people nearest to them wince.

"What's he done? He hasn't... tried anything, has he? Does he know?"

"No! He's only trying to get into Cissy's knickers!! Little prick told her to meet him at the Astronomy tower tonight at eight! Thank God she asked my permission first cos it's past her bloody bedtime!"

"What?" Andromeda asked, eyes wide, one hand protectively moving to run through the blonde hair. "He... he... oh my God..."

"Yeah." Bellatrix said, glaring down at both of her sisters. "And from what I've heard recently you've been getting friendly with a certain Mudblood. Don't deny it, they told me so themself."

Dromeda froze. _She knows about Ted? Oh God... how can she? He told her? How could he, she'd curse him before the first word even left his mouth... God... if she tells Mother – Father... I'll.... he'll..._

"You're not to talk to the scum again, got that? Or I'll make sure you can never talk to _anyone_ ever again. Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes, Bella, I understand." _How does she know? How? It's impossible, I told him to stay away from her... she'd never have talked to him... did she hurt him? Is he okay? Ted, you idiot..._

"Good." Bellatrix spat, then violently grabbed Narcissa's arm and spun her round to face her, pressing her face close to the blonde's. "Listen to me, Narcissa, you do not listen to a word that bastard says, okay? If he tries to touch you, kick him where it hurts and come find me. Yes?" She shook her sister harshly, feeling as if she wanted to burst into tears, kill someone and laugh at the same time.

"Yuh-huh..." Narcissa said, terrified.

"Good. Now go to bed. It's past your fucking bedtime already."

Narcissa scurried off Dromeda's lap, kissing her cheek, then turned to Bella, pausing before kissing hers too. As she ran upstairs, Bellatrix burst into tears, plonking herself down on Andromeda's lap. "I'm a bitch, aren't I?"

"Y-you're not the nicest girl I've ever met..." Dromeda said, stroking her sister's hair awkwardly. This was answered by a harsh kick to the shin and a death glare.

"I hate you." Bellatrix spat, shoving herself off her lap and storming up to her room. Andromeda sighed; Bella was temperamental at the best of times, but now she was pregnant... Andromeda shuddered. She couldn't wait for the potion to be completed.

**So... yeah. Sorry this isn't great.**

**I've been thinking of giving this story away to someone else to write – it's one of those fics that could go on forever and frankly, I don't have forever. There's no plot really, I used that up a while ago. If you're interested, send me a message. I'll probably get you to write th next chapter, and whoever writes the one I like best will get the fic.**

**Assuming that many people are interested, of course :L**

**Thanks, byee xxxx**


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